Last night I heard some drama across the street at the neighbors, He's a guy that shouts F bombs at the TV during most sporting events at 140db, so it got my attention. We call him Brutus. I approached, and he was freaking out about his dog Otis. That very morning, I'd noticed something not uncommon to my lawn ever since I started adding mulch/top soil due to erosion of the PNW rainy season. Tripper mushrooms take over like the worst dandelion or weed outbreak. His dog was all over the place, chasing invisible objects, his tail. At times he looked like he was having fun, others, not so much. I looked at his eyes and knew right away. The pupils had overtaken every bit of color that was once there. Being a bit of trickster, he didn't believe my diagnosis. "Uhh, yeah, you're dog is trippin glorious right now. You better get him to the Vet, or a Phish concert." I dunno why Brutus started barking at me. "Have you had a shroom outbreak? Are they still there untouched?" "Oh nooo, Otis is gonna die." "Nope, not those kind of mushrooms."

I followed him as he sprinted into the backyard, the dog doing figure 8's the entire way. Diagnosis confirmed, there was torn up and partially consumed mushrooms everywhere. "Vet, he'll be fine, but get going." He glared at me, as if I fed Otis the mushrooms. All worked out fine, they blasted him w/ alprazolam and he slept for 18 hrs, none the worse for wear. 2 days later, he discovered hundreds of dollars in Grateful Dead and Phish CD's bought on is iTunes account. I guess Otis knows his password. That last part may be a dramatization. In fact, since were talking Brutus, maybe I'll make today a doubleheader, Brutus and I were involved in one of the most beautiful neighbor revenge incidents I've heard of. All in good fun, and more than well deserved. Have a good weekend.