Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for October 17, 2021

Actually, he’s just trying to remember who this person is beside him and why she’s here.

But, if he doesn’t get his feet off of her sofa, his restlessness will be evicted to the back yard.

Pretty soon, Ellen will also know that Henry didn’t wipe his feet when he came in.

Henry is quite short isn’t he. He is waiting for his growth spurt to kick in.

As long as his restlessness stays quiet, Ellen can tolerate it.

Is that what Ellen calls it – “quiet restlessness”? She is gracious to a fault. I’d sooner call it his “inner toddler.”

No rest for the wicked.

If only Henry would stop leaving nose prints on the picture window when he is having those Walter Mitty moments…!

Or maybe it’s just gas.

And Ellen knows just what to avoid serving him at dinner to keep it that way

The mountains call him, but he can only scale the couch.

And a piece of plywood under his seat cushion

It’s called floating anxiety. No cause for it, it is just there.

Maybe he’s a banjo man? Everybody knows you can’t tie down a banjo man!

That’s it—Ellen needs to switch Henry to decaf!

…a motionless restlessness….

For Henry, it’s a restlessness that leads him to new heights.