Pictured is JudgmentsHere in the middle of a Speed Scrabble match against the family dog.  Such contests previously were casual and occasional; but they have become more frequent, and more heated, since the emergence of the pandemic, and the issuance of shelter-in-place recommendations.  Another sign of the times, to be sure.

Although formal records have not been kept, it is my sense that the results of my prior contests with Poppy are about even.  But I feel that I am now poised to pull away. Yes—Poppy has revealed occasional flashes of brilliance (“hambone,” laid-out late in a recent match, was totally unexpected).  But she has shown herself to be incapable of sustaining a high level of play . . . a weakness that is bound to cost her over the course of a long match.  I am counting on that.

I do not expect that I will ever achieve the level of play shown by R. L. (“Chip”) Hazelthorne, over on Winnetka, who recently emerged triumphant from an epic match against his very capable Great Dane.  But what I may give away in strategic brilliance I make up for in steadiness, and focus.  Poppy, on the other hand, has shown herself to be wanting in those very qualities. How many times has she taken unscheduled breaks, at critical moments in the play, disappearing to chase a squirrel?  She returns from those forays completely distracted, and never gets back into the flow of her game.  I, too, may have wanted to chase that squirrel—but I was able to assess competing goals maturely, and to maintain my sense of priorities.

A series of “friendlies” is now behind us, and the next scheduled match will be for all the Kibble.  The buzz on the streets is palpable.

I am reconciled to being without popular support in this match.  I see what my opponent has going for her—that ingratiating manner; those floppy ears.  Nor have I been blind to the “Poppy” tee shirts suddenly appearing on Davis Street, Hampton Road, and elsewhere in the vicinity of the match venue.  Is it demoralizing?  Yes—a little.  But I am determined to show the world that Speed Scrabble matches are not won on charisma, alone.

Although I like to think of myself as an honorable competitor, I am not above fostering conditions that will encourage Poppy to reveal innate weaknesses in her game . . . weaknesses that would be likely to manifest themselves, eventually, in any event.  In that connection, I have contracted with an itinerant squirrel, who will sashay across the backyard on my signal.  That should do it.