something tells me that
perhaps the wrong cat
drank the rescue remedy calming drops
from the water bowl.
one is facedown in a bowl of seashells
while the other, (my intended target)
is busy outside
standing up on two feet
looking in at me through the window
and meowing loudly.
—
“mixing one’s wines may be a mistake, but old and new wisdom mix admirably.”
-bertolt brecht
one of my daughter’s long-legged black cats
who i collectively refer to as ‘the nathans,’
enjoying a swing.
as of this posting,
he has never expressed a desire to be a dancer.
—
“just because you have long legs doesn’t mean you’ll be happy as a rockette.”
– nicholas lore
happy all american pet day!
During President Kennedy’s time in office 21 animals lived at the White House.
Their pets included dogs, horses, and an assortment of smaller animals.
—
“animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.”
george eliot
—
credit: john f. kennedy presidential library and museum
when glenn had to go through painful surgery
and was at last home again
tiny sweet olive
approached him gently
touched her head to his
let him eat their favorite food first
and moved quietly
next to him
at his special place by the window
just lying there
in silence
for hours on end
while he recovered
offering him
the quiet comfort
of their tender friendship.
—
“besides love and sympathy,
animals exhibit other qualities
connected with the social instincts
which in us would be called moral.”
― charles darwin
when i was 7 or 8 years old
my father came home
from his job at the ad agency
with a new pet for our family
and it just happened to be a baby alligator.
he was not more than 9 or 10 inches long
in a small box and cute as could be
i was really excited
and pictured myself playing with him and his friends
(just as in the vintage postcard above)
i thought he would just fit right in
with my family
in our colonial house
in the suburbs
though, there were a few ‘glitches’ with this scenario.
i had my alligator for a few days and i was very excited to have my friends in my class meet him. when the big day came for show and tell, i carefully carried him in his little cardboard box, climbed onto the bus, and jerry and i headed off to school. i remember it was a bit chilly that day, but i didn’t know anything about natural alligator habitats, so i didn’t think much of the weather. i was bursting with excitement.
i put my box on my desk and when i was called up for the big reveal, i opened by box, only to find that jerry lewis had passed away on the way to school and was now stiff as a board. i couldn’t believe it and i felt so sad for him. looking back, i’m sure that any baby alligator given away in a promotion, was not long for this world, but i had hoped that we would be together for a long while. my teacher was very nice about it, and helped me wrap up his box and i rode home that day on the bus with jerry, ready to have a funeral for him. i learned so many life lessons from my short time with jerry lewis. – r.i.p.
(not me, or jerry, but how i imagined us at show and tell)
—
” i go where the action is.”
-jerry lewis
my daughter’s two cats
copy her two art cats
all four posed and looking out her window
perhaps watching for two birds
who might be copying two art birds.
—
“as long as you’re being a copycat, you will never be the best copycat.”
-eric thomas
happiness is a dog
running free on 10 green acres
out in the elements
playing with the others
water bowls for all
in a huge fenced park devoted to them
and their people
walking and talking
benches and trees
waiting for them
when they tire out
while the dogs
just keep on smiling and running.
“dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame.
i should have a dog as a life coach.”
-moby
—
swift run dog park, ann arbor, mi, usa
shirley in her camp i.d. picture
have you seen this face?
—
once again
i am reminded
why
i love my community website
with all its sincere and heartfelt
eccentric charm
this time
there’s a notice about a turtle
who has ‘run away’ from camp
i have to wonder
could there be a slower animal
other than maybe a snail
to have made the great escape?
did anyone else know about turtle camp
or have i been living a sheltered life?
do you think she was homesick
or
just didn’t want to take part
in the arts ‘n crafts or talent night?
—
NEWSLETTER QUERY:
R.H. – 1 day ago
if you see this turtle, please phone — (see picture above)
Our turtle Shirley has escaped once again from turtle camp on J. Road, near V. Ave. She should be wearing a piece of blue duct tape on the back of her shell. She’s very friendly. She may have gotten pretty far – last time, she got to near J. Road and R. Road. before she was found.
Please call ——- (land line) if found. Or text ——-. Thank you!
Reward offered.
Probably will have lit out in the exact same direction as before.
RESPONSES:
W. H. – 1 day ago
I hope that neuroscientist didn’t get her for his experiments.
M. H. -1d ago
Oh my goodness we’ll keep our eyes out! (I read this and thought – oh my goodness, another person who sends their turtle to camp?! And then realized it was you!)
UPDATE:
as of today
shirley is still on the lam.
—
“take a walk with a turtle. and behold the world in pause.”
-bruce feiler
glen frey the cat not the rockstar
has been rescued by me
twice now
both times from precarious situations
he was always very skittish and fearful of most everything
probably based on the traumatic experiences he’d been through
but
after the second time
he suddenly
became very affectionate
and clearly decided
that it was important
to remind me of this
each morning around 3:30
he does this in a way
that there can be no doubt
jumping on my bed
nuzzling/pummeling me with his head
kneading everything he can find
purring loudly
circling around me
and somehow it feels like he is
an giant octopus nudging me to wake up with his head and eight hands
until i am sufficiently awake
then he finally settles in
laying on my feet
with what feels like an immovable 237 pounds or so of pure cat muscle
and promptly goes to sleep
snoring and in deep r.e.m.
maybe he thinks we are on guard duty and need to take shifts?
who needs an alarm?
—
“i read that when cats are cuddling and kneading you, and you think it’s cute,
they’re really just checking your vitals for weak spots.”
-kandyse mcClure
yeti, in the wild.
—
just before i left for my trip
one daughter and her family
were moving from one house to another
waiting for a closing date
so
i turned over my tiny cottage to
one daughter
one son in law
two grandies
two in-laws
two cats
and
two hives of bees.
—
i
then
moved
into
another
daughter’s apartment
with
one daughter
two grandies
and
glen frey the cat not the rock star
as he was afraid of
other cats and people and bees.
and
besides
there was
no way
my cottage could hold
any more people or other creatures.
—
my third daughter
stayed put
in her usual home
with
one son-in-law
two grandies
and
one giant cat.
—
while staying at my daughter’s
glen frey jumped through her screen one day
and took off into the woods
we tried and tried to get him to return
but he just ran deeper into the trees
we called him, looked for him
we left out food and water
and finally one day
he began to emerge
for breakfast and dinner
and
quickly left again
without as much as a nod
before speeding off
into the wild once more.
—
upon my return
it was time to try to capture
the elusive woodland cat
who’d been living as a yeti
camouflaged
elusive
wild
deep in the trees
and my mission was to
bring him home once more.
we staked him out
during his most popular
evening feeding time
and sure enough
he showed up
but
as i approached him
he seemed to recognize me
yet
he ran back into the woods
always staying just beyond my reach
then
i saw him peeking out at me
and
he slowly returned
he must have remembered
and as i
offered him my hand
he began to purr
turned his back
i grabbed him
he yelled
it took two of us to wrestle him
we wrapped him in a blanket
put him in the giant cat/yeti carrier
and
i carried him off for home
with him yelling all the way
it felt like i had kidnapped
a reluctant member of bigfoot’s cult
and
he was not happy to say the least.
he stayed up all night yelling
yet
in the morning
he was resting
and
he’d found his spot at home once more.
—
i’ll never know
about his yeti days
and his time on the lam
spent with woodland creatures
and
wild adventures
of all kinds.
he’ll probably never tell.
glen frey, in his home again.
—
(along with the rest of the family, the other cats,
and the bees, all in their homes again)
—
“there is precious little in civilization to appeal to a yeti.”
– sir edmund hillary
I didn't have my glasses on.... 