Tam Valley coyote is seen, fat-shamed and captured in a drawing - San Francisco Chronicle

Nextdoor contributors are often in a state of near-hysteria, which seems to be the point of a Tamalpais Valley entry noticed by Chronicle staff writer Peter Fimrite. The author of the posting seemed to be commenting on the tone of other reports of sightings. “Coyote spotted. Large coyote spotted at Edna parking lot. It was a little bit pudgy. I didn’t have my camera so I drew a sketch. Beware.”

The image accompanying this (viewable in the online version of this column) looked less like a naturalist’s sketch and more like a children’s drawing of a smiling creature seen in profile, with round belly, raised tail and all four legs visible, one lifted as though dancing the Charleston, the other three minding their own business. Responses to the online posting were varied, and mostly endearing. Among them:

“I need an art class for my kids. Are you taking students?”; “More details: Missing several teeth, has a blackeye, broken leg, grossly overweight and three spots of mange. Answers to the name ‘Lucky’ ...”; “Beautiful coyote illustration. Maybe it was a pregnant female?”; “This is simply not a funny joke. I have heard stories of coyotes eating small dogs and I don’t need any extra stress in regard of my poochie ...”; “Relax man, this is a mountain range ...”; “That drawing came with the sun”; “I think everyone should submit their own drawing of a coyote ... tomorrow — eating a leprechaun. ...”; “God dammit! I think I just saw him at the post office. When will this end?”

At the London Book Fair last week, Chronicle Books was serving Champagne in celebration of the announcement of its new imprint, Chronicle Prism. The division will publish nonfiction described as “narrative, prescriptive and inspirational.”

The first three books are “Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse” by actor John Lithgow; “Between Heaven and Hell,” in which journalist (and former Chronicle columnist) David Talbot describes a year after suffering a stroke; and “Find Your F—yeah” by Alexis Rockley, which is described as a science-based guide that disrupts today’s warm and fuzzy personal-growth fads.”

Everybody’s an art lover, but there are risks one can’t afford to take. News of the April 20 formal unveiling of a new mural, on the retaining wall at the foot of the hill whereon Laguna Honda Hospital was built, includes a warning: Don’t attempt to see the 600-foot-long work in one glance. Backing up far enough to do that will put viewers in the path of cars barreling down Laguna Honda Boulevard. “Just walking alongside it takes a good 15 minutes.”

The first iteration of Laguna Honda was as a poorhouse, built during the Gold Rush. Three years after the quake of 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt designated it a Relief House. Today, the facility houses people who need long-term and hospice care. The mural celebrates the natural, civic and historical importance of the site.

The creators of the mural, artists from Precita Eyes Muralists, led by Elaine Chu and Yuka Ezoe, have taken good liberties with scale. Images at the mural’s top edge seem, in many places, to bleed into the hillside adjacent to the mural, and it’s tempting to stare at those intersections of art and landscape. This is possible during those 15-minute strolls, when connoisseurs are safe and sound on the sidewalk. One again, there’s a caveat; folks driving by should ignore temptation and keep their eyes on the road.

• Marking International Women’s Day earlier this month, body acceptance advocate Virgie Tovar (author of the book “You Have the Right to Remain Fat”) was exultant. “I was ordering piroshkis at the San Francisco Russian Festival when I felt the familiar buzz of my phone,” wrote Tovar. “It was a text from a longtime friend, also a fat activist: ‘It’s happening!’ it read, and just below that a link to the article that highlighted Weight Watchers’ recent 31 percent stock plummet.”

• With the “last seasons for both (Michael Tilson Thomas) and Bruce Bochy,” says Bertie Brouhard, “we’re losing two great maestros. It’s almost too much for a big fan of both.”

• And as to the other day’s description of the lost stapler affixed with a “This is not a stapler” sign, Randy Alfred thinks the office manager is René Magritte.

• Dan Giesen saw a Tesla with a “GAS GUZL” license plate, a vehicular oxymoron. Tom Walton saw a Nissan pickup truck loaded with sports gear, bearing the plate “FSH H8ME.”

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

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