-
Recent Posts
Archives
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- April 2022
- June 2021
- March 2021
- October 2020
- July 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- December 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- September 2017
- August 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- January 2017
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- August 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- August 2014
- June 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- February 2013
- December 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
-
Category Archives: Animal Stories
Slow Rollout
So here we are, mid-October, and it’s rolling out in slo-mo. While other areas are getting color, this little corner of the world (at least my world) has been in a bit of a stall. The maple tree in front … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Autumn, Dogs, Gardening, House plants, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather
|
Tagged Autumn, autumn color, Color, colors of autumn, dull fall, dying garden, farmers market, fly swatter, Gardening, Halloween, halloween decorations, homecoming parade, houseplants, jerusalem artichokes, my cowboy boots, no kings, Papi-Chi, papillon, paw-paw season, porch skelly, senior dog, spotted lanternflies, sunchokes, sunsets, writing
|
Leave a comment
The Dulling
Summer is closing out and the action surrounding The Urban Porch has very much slowed down. There is a tinge of color on the edges of some leaves. A slight shift in the quality of the light. Cooler nights, great … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Autumn, Cooking, Daeja's Garden, Dogs, Food, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife
|
Tagged barred owl, black bears, crow tree, dog adoption, dog rescue, dogs, dull foliage, emotional dullness, Fence Dinosaur, katydid, milkweed, milkweed pods, milkweed seeds, monarch, night sounds, no blooms on morning glories, no figs on my fig tree, weird yew berries, zinnias
|
Leave a comment
Home Invasion
It was a little over a week ago, time approximately 3:30 am, when I was awakened by the sounds of crashing and muffled yelling coming from somewhere downstairs. Actually, in my ever-increasing deafness, I felt, more than heard, what appeared … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Dogs, Hearing Impaired, nature, Perspective, senior musings, summer, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged Bats, bats in the house, Deafness, feeling unsafe, Hearing Impaired, middle of the night, papillon alert, safety, safety preparedness, safety weapon, unwanted visitors, useless broom, weapon
|
4 Comments
Just Looking Around
It’s mid-summer, up to now quite thick with a sultry humidity, filled with iced tea and slow-moving. I’m too hot and lazy to delve into any subject too deeply. I just want to take a bit of a mental sabbatical … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Birds, Daeja's Garden, Earworm of the day, Gardening, Holidays, Memories, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized
|
Tagged 1960's summer love, art in nature, barn swallows, drumstick allium, echinacea, fireworks, fledglings, flower duets, goldfinch, Lupines, milkweed, Miss Rumphius, nuances of summer, pine, poplar sphynx moth, porch tomatoes, privet, Red milkweed beetle, sultry heat, summer flowers, teenage summer romance, toad, What I Am
|
Leave a comment
Ants
Over the years I’ve been increasingly tolerant of some insects in my environment – or sharing our environment, to be exact. An attempt will always be made to relocate a spider, a beetle or a bee from the house. Outdoors, … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Birds, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife, Wow!
|
Tagged ant bait, ant nest, ants, big ants and little ants, circle of life, entomology, getting rid of ants, guilt, home made ant traps, insect consciousness, moral dilemma of killing insects?, myrmecology
|
1 Comment
A Celebration of Fertility
There was a dead ant floating inside the teapot yesterday morning, the arrival of such yet another sure-fire harbinger of Spring. This particular teapot has a very narrow spout, which makes it rather nice if you make pour-over coffee. It … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Birds, Daeja's Garden, Dogs, Gardening, Holidays, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife, Wow!
|
Tagged ants, bees, Beltane, Birds, cycles of flowers, flora, Flowers, Gardening, look in your teapot, May Day, my papillon, nature, new blooms, olfactory bliss, open the windows, photography, Spring, the rotting porch, The Urban Porch, turn turn turn
|
Leave a comment
Sploot
There appeared to be a dead squirrel on the back deck yesterday afternoon. It was sprawled flat out, looking rather like a small, worn out old rug; on closer observation it resembled a flying superhero, sans cape. Upon approaching further … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Daeja's Garden, disability accommodations, Earworm of the day, Gardening, Hearing Impaired, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife, Wow!
|
Tagged April, Earworm of the day, eastern flowers, eastern flowers of april, Fence Dino, Fence Dinosaur, garden, Gardening, magnolias, rando tulips, second spring, splooting, splooting squirrel, spring flowers of the East, springtime naps, Squirrels, sugar magnolia, the neighborhood
|
Leave a comment
Chicken
OK, well this is going to be another one of those brain-salad riff type posts where I am all over the place, but if you follow or if your brain works like mine, you might find the connections somehow. Or … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, baking, Birds, Cooking, Food, House plants, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Weird, Winter
|
Tagged 11:11, brain salad, chicken, chicken for chicken, crow royalty, Dutch Baby, Foodie, Memories, neglected clivia, organic eggs, senior memories, senior musings, spring of deception
|
Leave a comment
Summing Up Twenty-Four
Scrolling back over the past posts of 2024 puts it right in my face that there was plenty about nature, food, weather, and just mindless, ambling summations. That, and a couple of Rants here and there. At the beginning of … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Coping, Earworm of the day, Flashback, Food, Gardening, Holidays, House plants, nature, Perspective, Photography, Rant, Regrets, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Vent, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife, Winter
|
Tagged 2024 in retrospect, celestial phenomenon, clouds, colors, Cooking, earworms, impressions, little dog, mind-spinning, oddball thoughts, ROYGBIV, serenity, snow, Stuff, the Zone, Weather, whimsical observations
|
1 Comment
Disease
Disease: “Any harmful deviation from the normal structural or functional state of an organism. A diseased organism commonly exhibits signs or symptoms indicative of its abnormal state.” Dis-ease: “A particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Autumn, Cooking, Coping, Dogs, Food, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Vent, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Weird
|
Tagged be the light, comfort food, cooking as diversion, dis-ease, disease, distractions, eastern wildfires, eating your stress, family divisions, flowers in november, hateful people, hope and sorrow, my papillon, November, political divisions in families, recipes for sanity, rosy dawn, smoke in the sky, solace in nature, sorrow, thank God for dogs, the election, troll, uneasiness, we need rain, wildfires
|
Leave a comment
Gems of October
Small gems of October have provided entertainment and distraction throughout the month, acknowledged with appreciation, wonder, and some amusement. I’ve been admiring the treasures afforded, observing wildlife in their environment over the past few weeks. While walking by the ocean, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Autumn, Birds, Mushrooms, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife
|
Tagged beautiful skies, bees, colors of autumn, fall foliage, gingko, house sparrows, hunters moon, late autumn, matsutake, mums, northern lights, October, papillon, pawpaws, seals, skies of october, squirrel antics, supermoon, turkey in the road
|
1 Comment
Hawkmoth Leitmotif
The awareness of a particular image continually showing up began about a year ago, when I was repeatedly borrowing my daughter’s hoodie. Whenever I was at her house I found myself reaching for it, as it was roomy and cozy … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Autumn, nature, Perspective, senior musings, treasures, Uncategorized, Weird, Wildlife
|
Tagged Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, coincidences, Death's-head Hawkmoth, Death's-head moth, frequency illusion, moth-themed, recurring themes, repeat observances, squeaking moths, visual leitmotif
|
Leave a comment
Observations on the Arrival of the Equinox
A day or so away from the Autumn Equinox, here we are again. It’s been cool nights and still very warm, ever-shortening days. All signs are barreling towards Fall at full speed, pops of orange here and there, gardens calling … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Autumn, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife
|
Tagged Autumn, browsing deer, clematis, crow tree, end of summer, Equinox, Fall, full moon, insects, invasive insects, Muscovy ducks, oak wasp galls, putting away the summer clothes, shorter days, Spotted Lantern Fly, starlings, white markings on deer nose, white-tailed deer
|
Leave a comment
Soaking In the Last of Summer
September in the Northeast. While it is probably a temporary thing, we did get a break in the heat and have had some deliciously bright, temperate days. Actually there were a couple of weeks of those days, with one or … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Autumn, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, House plants, Mushrooms, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife
|
Tagged black walnut remains, cricket in the house, edible Fuschia berries, flash flood, Fuchsia, Fuchsia berries, fungus gnats, Fuschia, gnats in houseplants, moss, moss magic, mossy bliss, Northeast September, September, squirrel action
|
2 Comments
Incoming
Perhaps I’m taking a risk by speaking too soon, but it is of note that this summer (so far) there has been a marked absence of mosquitos here. Of course there have been a few around The Urban Porch, and … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weird, Wildlife, Wow!
|
Tagged August, crow gift, crows have left, dog rolls in something awful, dragonflies, dragonflies on the beach, dragonfly migration, dragonfly swarm, fauna, fireflies are over, flora, insecta, lily pollen, lily pollen stain, mosquito magnet, no mosquitos, Rhode Island, small observations, Summer, upstate NY, urban fauna, vermont, where are the mosquitos?
|
Leave a comment
Summer By the Side of the Road
Well into July now, the weather is hot and steamy and the neighborhood is a-pop with the next phase of color and bloom. With just the tiniest bit of guilt, I note the tidily tended perennial beds of the house … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, House plants, Mushrooms, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife
|
Tagged Hollyhock leaf rust, July, july garden, Mid-July, orange flowers, Oranges of Summer, porch Papilllon, Robins, rose of sharon, shabby chic porch, The House by the Side of the Road, weedy garden, wild front yard, wild garden
|
Leave a comment
Crow Silhouette
Crow sentinels come and go from the top branches of The Crow Tree throughout the day and into early evening. It’s been happening for the last couple of weeks. Observing them distantly from my view on The Urban Porch, it … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife
|
Tagged bird life, black birds, crow shadows, crows, dark shadows, dark silhouettes, keeping watch, silhouettes, what are they thinking?
|
Leave a comment
Unbridled Joy
Last week a friend and I made plans to go out for a short walk. I waffled about taking my dog Rudi with me, as I had errands to run afterwards and having him with me would inhibit completing them … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Dogs, Flashback, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, treasures, treasures, Uncategorized, Weird, Wow!
|
Tagged April, connections, dog esp, dog joy, dog walks, esp and dogs, Joy, little dogs, love in their eyes, March, off-leash, papillon, Papillon-Chihuahua, psychic connections, psychic connections with pets, pure love, small dog joy, small dogs, telepathic magic, unbound joy, zoomies
|
2 Comments
Thoughts on a Toe
It was Snoopy’s fault, and each time it happens I can’t help but think of him. Because of Snoopy, the nail on one of my big toes only grows to a certain length before chipping, always in the same place. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Flashback, Perspective, senior musings, summer, Uncategorized
|
Tagged animals, barn rat, broken toe, chestnut horse, horse barn, horse girl, horses, horses I have known, jealousy, pinto horse, privilege, remembering animals, riding horses, runaway horse, stables, summer camp horses
|
3 Comments
The Value of a Life
Just happening to glance down while heading towards my car ended up derailing any other plans I had hoped to accomplish yesterday afternoon. Following a medical appointment and walking across the hospital parking lot, a small movement on the pavement … Continue reading →
The Heat is On
It’s really the humidity that can get to you more than the temperature. Just in case that clammy, uncomfortable feeling isn’t enough, the frizzy hair barometer is letting me know it’s in the upper ranges. A quick check confirms it’s … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Daeja's Garden, Food, Gardening, Mushrooms, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife
|
Tagged Earworm of the day, July blooms, kitchen implements, moth plagues of the past, moths everywhere, neighborhood flowers, no mushrooms, orange blooms, raccoon family, spongy moths, The Heat is On, too hot to cook
|
Leave a comment
The End of June Brings Steamy Days
The start of the last week of June has brought on the humidity and my hair is a-frizz. Along with the frizz, the heat has rapidly ushered in the next wave of flora. A number of people have been sending … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Cooking, Food, Gardening, nature, Photography, Seasons, summer, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife
|
Tagged bird fight, cool summer meals, end of june, i miss my tree, mountain laurel, scent of Linden, summer humidity, the elusive cedar waxwing, where is the time going?, white hydrangeas
|
Leave a comment
Summer Solstice on The Urban Porch ™
Back out on The Urban Porch this morning with Rudi, there is a mild breeze with a tinge of humidity in the air, a lovely place to be until either the sun moves and heats up this side of the … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Cooking, Daeja's Garden, Food, Gardening, nature, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife
|
Tagged avian gangs, beetles and bugs, breezy days, Dutch Baby, solstice dinner, Summer meals, sun tea
|
Leave a comment
Wandering On and Off The Urban Porch ™
The smoky skies from the Canadian wildfires had kept Rudi and I off The Urban Porch ™ and sequestered inside for a number of days. Once they cleared, we were especially eager to get out and about. At first, with … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Birds, Food, Friends, nature, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife
|
Tagged bobolinks, crayfish memories, mulberries, Neighbors, out in the fields, overpriced nostalgia, summer happenings, the mosquitos are biting, when the smoke cleared
|
2 Comments
Early May on The Urban Porch ™
It’s kind of nice to roll out of bed and sit out on the porch in the early morning, cup of coffee in hand, watching the neighborhood come awake. You would think with all the rain, sun and early blooming … Continue reading →
On a Stretch of Rainy Days
Shortly before a recent stretch of rain drove the focus on projects and diversions inside the house, I managed to get out with a friend for a bit of meandering through the woods and fields. There was a portion of … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, baking, Birds, Cooking, Food, nature, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, treasures, Uncategorized, Weather, Wildlife
|
Tagged Buzzards, duck eggs, Foxes, Muscovy ducks, road crew tales, sniffing lilacs, Spring flora and fauna, vixen, Wildlife
|
2 Comments
What Tears Are These?
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,Tears from the depth of some divine despairRise in the heart, and gather to the eyes – Alfred Lord Tennyson When is the last time you cried? And why? Recently – with … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Dogs, grief, Perspective
|
Tagged dog rescue sites, old dog adoption, senior dog, special needs dog, tears, transferred grief
|
3 Comments
Random Goings-on While the Leaves Were Turning
I vacillate between the excitement of the seasonal splendor and the worries or annoyances regarding larger and smaller events surrounding life these days. The blog postings here tend to go in erratic cycles. I might not post for months and … Continue reading →
Transitions
The coloring of Autumn is building to all its glory, and I walk around sighing with mouth agape. But I will share all of that at a later time. Right now the large and small creatures are in motion. The … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Autumn, Perspective, treasures, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged animals, Autumn, Changes, falling into autumn, insects, nature, small wonders, Wildlife
|
1 Comment
Ursa
With such a cool, breezy morning ahead, it seemed the perfect day to take a walk in the woods. I decided to hop in the car and drive to the mountain trail behind a friend’s house to herald in the … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Autumn, nature, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged autumn equinox, bear in the woods, bears, black bears, into the woods
|
2 Comments
Readying
Life cycles into the next phase, as we push into early Autumn. The heat has broken and gifted us with cooler nights. Afternoon light is becoming more honeyed and the billowing cumulus of August have given way to the shifting … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Autumn, nature, Perspective, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged autum, mantis, orb weaver, seasonal cycles, spider, Squirrels
|
Leave a comment
Things That Land In Your Hair
For most of my life my very curly, somewhat long hair has been a catch-all for things that land, fly or fall into it. Mosquitos. Dragonflies. A wasp. A cicada. Moths and butterflies. Pieces of leaves, seeds, wisps of dandelion. … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, summer, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged Bats, bats in the house, best neighbors, curly hair
|
3 Comments
Wildlife On and About the Urban Porch
This is a small, urban neighborhood of old houses. We get some significant vehicle and pedestrian traffic during the day. The city is bordered by areas of woods, streams and trails. Because of this, we occasionally will find a deer … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Spring, summer, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged house sparrows, neighborhood insects, porch life, small gifts, urban wildlife, views from my porch
|
4 Comments
Mantis
Last fall my three-year-old granddaughter became fascinated with a dead praying mantis she found in my driveway. That was the second one I had seen around the yard that week, after not seeing any. A few days later I discovered … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Gardening, Spring, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wow!
|
Tagged Earth day, mantis, nature, praying mantis
|
3 Comments
Crow Tree
There are a couple of very old, unhealthy, towering maples and oaks on the corner that probably aren’t going to last much longer. While walking beneath them with the dog, I noticed some rotten limbs had recently fallen and crashed … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Autumn, Birds, summer, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged Birds, corvids, crows, flocks of crows
|
2 Comments
Passing of the Buck
I went out to investigate why a police car was parked in front of my driveway on this sunny Saturday afternoon, officers standing there pointing towards the backyard. Years ago there had been a foot chase culminating in a suspect … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Coping, grief, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged Deer, EHD, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, municipal responsibility, Red tape, sick deer, sick wildlife, who is responsible
|
4 Comments
Little Bird
Following a quick but torrential downpour and some gusty winds, the S.O. discovered a fledgling robin scooting around between the dying iris foliage in our front yard. The linden tree immediately nearby is the most likely place it came from, … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Coping, Daeja's Garden, grief, Regrets, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged death, fledglings, grief by proxy, saving a bird, the right decision?
|
2 Comments
Crayfish/Karma
When my grandson’s elementary school class sent home a notice saying they have eleven crayfish that are coming up for adoption at the completion of their science unit, my daughter immediately said “NO WAY” and expressed how she is still … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, kids, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged aquarium adventures, class crayfish, class science project, crustaceans as pets, Fish Tank, karma, pet crayfish, pets, school pets
|
2 Comments
Pushing the Feline Envelope
There will be some people who have serious disagreements with this post. But I’ve kind of reached a bit of saturation on the subject and feel the need say something. If you can come up with a better solution, I’m … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Birds, Rant, Uncategorized
|
Tagged bird killers, cat ordinances, cat populations, irresponsible pet owners, neighborhood cats, outdoor cats, urban cats
|
9 Comments
The Power of Skunk
Skunk wafting on the wind is a scent I actually enjoy. There has been an especially strong aroma lingering around the back of the house for the last couple of weeks. Honestly, at first I thought either someone spilled a … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Coping, Uncategorized, Weather, Wildlife, Winter
|
Tagged house-buggy, long winter, more snow, skunks, snow storm, winter weary, winter-punchy
|
3 Comments
The Stuff of Nightmares
Being sort of a nerd when it comes to science, botany, animals and insects, it has been a regular practice to study, scrutinize and read up on many of the critters, diseases, and earthly creations that I stumble upon. The … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged creepy bugs, house centipede, nightmare bug, scary insect, scutigera
|
2 Comments
Rescue
Some people have issues with The Empty Nest after their children grow up and move away from home. For me this has not been much of a problem. The teenage years of my youngest were so dramatic disruptive emotional intense … Continue reading →
Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Dogs, Uncategorized
|
Tagged Chion, dog adoption, empty nest, fearful dog, forever home, mill dog, new dog, Papi-Chi, Papillon-Chihuahua, puppy mill dog, rescue dogs, small dog
|
6 Comments
The Other Car
Once we had children, I became the driver of the newer and larger car, the “safer” car, as I was the one shuttling the precious cargo around. So by default, my Then Husband, who I will call “Howie” for the … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Humor, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged adventure, getting pulled over, Mice, Old cars
|
4 Comments
Flamingos Spotted in the Northeast!
Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Humor, Uncategorized
|
Tagged lawn flamingos, library book fair, plastic flamingos, Summer
|
2 Comments
Heads Up
The light fixture that hangs in the front porch over the door is old and has one of the glass panels missing. There are three sockets, one of which is empty and the other two which hold energy-saving bulbs. The … Continue reading →
Stealth
When it came to a choice of animal companions, my family always fell into the “dog people” category. But there hasn’t been a dog in my life for a very long time. There are a number of reasons for that, … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Dogs, Friends, Perspective, Uncategorized
|
Tagged attachments, dog-sitting, dogs, pet adoption, pet rescue, pets
|
Leave a comment
The Saluki in the Floor
The phone call from the Middle East at six in the morning came as sort of a surprise. “Your puppy was just born, come and get her” prefaced the details of an invitation to leave the United States and reunite … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Friends, Regrets, Uncategorized, Winter
|
Tagged companions, Dog story, dogs, gazelle hound, Golan Heights, loss of pet, Persian Greyhound, Saluki, Sight hound
|
30 Comments
Attraction
Not quite past January and it has been so weirdly warm, an encouragement to lean so far towards the specter of Spring that I am ready to fall over. While going through my files to locate a photo that might … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Photography, Spring, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged attraction, beauty, Butterfly, daughters beauty, Flowers, red hair, Summer
|
Leave a comment
My Best Snake Story
It appears I am building an unintended repertoire of Close Encounters With Wildlife stories. I have been asked by someone to share “the one about the snake”, and so I give it to you here. This particular vignette occurred in … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Humor, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Winter
|
Tagged Autumn, Copperhead, country living, Eastern Milk Snake, household wildlife, Snakes, winter
|
7 Comments
The Suicide Squirrel
Driving down the shade-dappled road with the sun sparkling through the leaves on a brilliant morning, singing with the radio, and out of the corner of my eye I saw it coming. It ran in front of the car and suddenly froze in … Continue reading →
Posted in Animal Stories, Uncategorized, Wildlife
|
Tagged indecision, road kill, rodents with tails, Squirrels
|
6 Comments
daeja's view 