Dixie and me meeting a young neighbor

DIXIE AND ME

Today, Dixie and I encountered a neighborhood boy who was trying to dribble and shoot a basketball in his driveway.

The boy was struggling with both endeavors (he didn't hit the basket on the first shot I saw). The ball got away, and he ran across the cul-de-sac to retrieve it.

As he began to run away, I asked if he would like to meet Dixie. He came back and petted Dixie for a minute, and he told me he was practicing to play an organized sport for the first time.

I gave him encouragement, and, for some reason, I asked what kind of ball he had. He looked at it, puzzled, and said he didn't know.

I told him it was made by Spalding, a company that has made sports equipment since 1876 (I had to look it up).

It bothered me, though, that he couldn't read the word Spalding.

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