An opinion on eating Pistachio nuts

Bessy has an ear infection. Felix said that this is what happens when dogs start to examine their own consciousness and develop broader opinions on the world. I wondered if there was a scientific rationale for that but Felix insisted there wasn't a need for one. Intuition was as good as anything when it came to deducing the consequences of creatures expressing their opinion.

I said I thought this was nonsense and Felix poured his tea over my lap. I think he has a point.

George was waiting with his own opinion when I arrived at the surgery. I warned him that the consequences of him expressing - or not expressing - his opinion were totally out of my control and that, for all I knew, he'd have an infected ear by the end of the day. George scratched his ear with his freshly-painted nails, and said he thought I was spending too much time with the black dog. Seeing as Bessy is a white and grey sheepdog I figured George was expressing an opinion about something he knew nothing about, and decided to leave it at that.

Cookie had Mr Rodrick seated in the chair and bibbed-up ready for his endodontic treatment when I arrived later than expected. She was plugged in to her radio waves and he was counting his prayer beads. He had travelled extensively in the Middle East and, like everyone else passing through that part of the world, he said, had dreamt about swimming through sand. I asked if he was speaking metaphorically, but he said he had no use for big words.

This brings me to pistachio nuts which are harvested, among other places, in Syria. I bought a bag for Bessy to console her in her ear misery, as the consequences of her existential self-examination takes its effect. I've been where you are, I told her, though she didn't seem too interested.