Prince Scratchabelli...

This is Jacques. He is a miniature poodle with very definite ideas on how the world should work.

--All dishes containing meat, butter, salad dressing, or anything else yummy (except lettuce--he can't seem to chew it) belong to him unless he grants dispensation.

--My workday isn't done until he jumps into my lap, takes his leash into his mouth, and presents it to me. This is supposed to happen at 4:30. There is hell to pay if it doesn't.

--He is The Boss.

I haven't come up with any effective rebuttals to any of his assertions other than to scratch his belly and hope that he is too distracted to remember what directive we're under.

The picture was taken Monday during a trip to the northern end of the island. The air there was clear, the weather was excellent, and the coffee cake at Starbucks was first-rate. Jacques gave it two paws up. You can check out the little tyrant's lineage here.

I've done a major rewrite of the screenplay I started over seven years ago. I've renamed it A Man Alone and am putting the finishing touches on it. It's a character-driven story about a man who is hired to protect a battered wife. Drop a line to the blog email address if you'd like to read and critique it.