Cloudy (#716) 11-26-14

Actually his name is Adam. Several years ago, he was walking with friends in San Francisco. A woman saw him and mistook him for a friend – a friend who had died. She looked at Adam, shrieked, looked up at the cloudy skies and held up her hands in apparent exultation. Adam's friends figured that she saw him in the clouds, and called him cloudy. The nickname stuck.

I saw him in a more secular light, playing a small accordion in Tampa. In front of him was his hat and a sign, “Anything helps, God bless.” Two large dogs were at his side, one of which did not approve of my presence. From San Francisco he moved to Minnesota, then Tampa – a good decision. I said that the dogs must be expensive to maintain. Cloudy said, not so much. Many people overbuy dog food and donate it to the Humane Society, Cloudy gets high quality food from there – cheap.

I asked about the best thing that had happened that morning. “All is good today, the weather and tips are good.” While we spoke (and he wasn't playing), two passersby dropped bills into his hat.

Bob