Fuzzy and Fast Asleep

MUST CLICK ON THIS TO ENLARGE -- really, don't miss doing it. So furry! So red!

Just a favorite picture of the male of those last two Fox babies I took care of in fall - the ones that were so sick and so attached to each other. This one fell asleep on his back and just looked so Uh.Dor.Able that I had to preserve it on film. And I did. Brings me right back there and I wish he were still in my house right now! I miss those two immensely!

Today's Chuckle

Blue Moon

The night before New Years Eve, I stole out into the frigid temps to take this snap of the breathtaking full moon. I stood there in the blackness and looked through the bare branches at the glow that was radiating from it, in awe. It was almost like the moon was exhaling all around and you could see the breath, like I could see my own as I was standing there shivering in my slippers and pj's under my down coat.

There was supposed to be a Blue Moon on the big night, but it was so cloudy then I couldn't see a thing. I still went out and tilted my face skyward and made my new year wishes on it, a tradition I started many moons ago.

Did you see it where you were? Did you take any pictures? Tell me in the comments what it looked like to you...

Nuts To You

Oh I love The Park that I live so close to, where I am still thrilled that the "wild animals" are all so tame that they eat from my hand. When I am in need of the fix that only being with animals can give, I take a walk there with my bag stuffed with bread, raw nuts and cracked corn at the very least, so I have a little something for anyone I might run into who is up for a little snack.

I visited the other side of the lake, rather than the squirrel forest, since I wanted the little ones over there to get their due. I spotted this Fox leaping from branch to branch and pushed through some sticky brambles and weeds to catch her attention. There I offered nuts, and took blurry but satisfying movies with my other hand.




It's a shame that these movies are so big and clear on my computer and are so reduced here on blogger. Here's a picture at least of the little girl, caught mid bite.

It's odd to have a nature scene such as this have such a cacophonous soundtrack. The siren is because The Park is next to the medical center. While it's far enough away, ambulances and emergency helicopters are heard regularly on their way to it. The high pitched whistle is from a children's train that snakes around the lake and trees. Here's more....




Cracks me up to see her check me out as she's finishing this nut. I was moving around a little, picking another nut out of my pocket to wave at her once she was done. She looks me up and down quick and comes racing back for it. I don't know if you can make all that out on the infuriatingly small screen they condense these movies to. You need to come over some day and watch them on my computer where they fill up the whole screen.

If that's not enough, I have some lovely salted cashews (or cake and coffee/tea) to lure you. :-)

The Guardian

Is there a God? Do we have guides? Guardian angels?

These questions occurred to me during the month that I rehabbed a dehydrated, orphaned infant squirrel at home. He was so little, so vulnerable, so sweet, so funny. And for over 4 weeks his little life was in my hands.

Literally.

While he was sleeping and unaware, I brought him home in a flannel lined box with a microwaved rice sock to keep him warm during the trip. I drove more slowly than I ever have, being extra careful to avoid bumps as my free hand lay protectively on it's top.

Upon arrival I settled the box on a heating pad, but kept the sock in with him because this one was clearly a cuddler. I felt bad that he was all on his own... except for me. He'd push his little nose under the heavy, round sock, which imitates in shape and weight the body of a mother squirrel. I can't tell you how many times I tip toed into that room to lift the lid and check on him. I watched his breathing, and delighted in his funny sleeping positions. I kept a schedule and woke him at regular intervals, tested the temp of his milk on my wrist, and fed him, taking copious notes on his growth and behavior. Every time I checked I could see his ears had gotten pointier, his tail hair had grown visibly, his belly was furring over, or that his whiskers had come out. It was like I'd been given superpowers, and could watch his growth as if I possessed rapid-speed vision, or that time no longer existed as I knew it, and I had somehow stepped into a different plane of awareness and operation. It was, in a word, surreal.

He did not know that I was there. I was virtually invisible to him, a totally different species in fact, so huge he could never comprehend me, or the fact that I use computers and drive a car... things that just aren't within his realm of imagination. He simply did what he was born to do... eat, sleep and grow, destined to climb trees, play in the fresh air, forage for nuts to bury, make a nest, and find a little girl squirrel to have babies with... all because I was sheparding him through this stage of his little life.

During feeding, he knew when he was full; he'd pull away, instantly curl up in my palm and be out like a light, so soft, innocent, trusting and warm. Many times I cupped my other palm over him and just held him for a long time, to be sure he was in a very deep sleep before I'd ever so gently place him back in his bed, the cloth of which I'd change to fresh every single day. He'd only stir enough to push his little nose under the belly of that rice sock, and go back to his dreams. And I was ever-present, keeping watch.

Though I had a very busy adult human life, truthfully nothing was more important to me than overseeing his well being. I went to bed thinking about him, and woke up doing the same. I had a distinct sense of rightness and purpose. It was natural, easy, and completely joyful. I felt like it was the most special thing I could do with my own life.

And as I did all this, day after day, I thought: What if we had someone doing just the same thing-- steering us in the right direction, helping us grow, nurturing our development, keeping things warm and cozy... always there, looking out for us, even when things might appear go astray? Some One or some Thing in a form or from an existence that we can't quite comprehend but in whose hands we are safe? What if we have their full attention as it's their purpose, their life's work? What if, above all, we are as fully loved as I loved and still love this little boy squirrel? Can we just relax then, in good times and bad, and trust that we are being taken care of always?

Hmmm....

What do you think?

*thank you to jameswoodward.wordpress.com for the snow angel image*

Finding Warmth in Winter

I always enjoy strolling through The Park on sunny days when it's quiet, because it's then that the turtles --of which there is quite a healthy population -- come out to sun themselves. Being cold blooded, they must regulate their body temps by absorbing sun through their shells. I stood far away from this lone fella, but you can see that he indeed noticed me when I said something about getting vitamin D out loud. He then turned his head back, like George Hamilton. Gawd forbid he get a tan line from turning his head too long. Or maybe he realizes he's got a handsome profile (I was kind enough to shoot this from his good side).


I went over to get a closer shot. He posed for this and then, in the blink of an eye, slipped off the log and disappeared into the water. Now in a completely different part of the lake there is a little island and I usually can find a set of about 8 turtles who crawl up on a sunny patch on the shore, protected by surrounding greens from the wind, which on this day was quite chilly.
Someone ought to get wise and set up a little shack with cocktail service in the middle there. Where's the Geiko gekko these days? If he needed a gig on the side he'd be a perfect fit.

Your Comments, if you Please

I have a new post up for the Houston Zoo blog which you can find here. While it's not about animals but a volunteer there (she is very dedicated, scoops elephant poop once a week and was able to watch one of our baby elephants being born!), if you would be so kind as to check it out and leave a comment, I would be very grateful. Here is the link:

http://houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/

Thanks. I have several other posts up there .. you can click on my name I guess to find them. Have never done it but I think that's how to find them. I mention this because I know we are a community of commenters, and while many people read there, it's really nice for comments to come through. Thanks!!

And in the mean time, here's today's giggle:

When What Did My Wondering Eyes Did Appear

It was freezing cold outside-- about 5 degrees farenheit -- and the wind was blowing brutally. Snow from the recent record breaking storm was still on the ground. We were on vacation in Virginia, about 30 minutes west of Charlottesville, very near to the Blue Ridge mountains edge. The folks we were visiting had the normal random collection of animals in the ring adjacent to their barn. Some horses, a goat or two... and wait-- that one eating SNOW -- is it? It IS! It's a CAMEL.

Eating snow. Not in the desert crossing miles of sand. A camel in the wintry snow, having fun munching the white stuff. I whipped out my little digital camera, switched it to movie mode and pressed play... just in time to miss it. I had gotten said camel's attention and she came walking, then running, over.

Have you ever seen a camel run? I know, you really haven't now either because she was partially blocked, but it was still a fun sentence to write.

The lady who owns Chloe has had her since she was two weeks old. I asked if she ever spat, as I have seen them do it (I was in Lebanon stopping for coffee with Bedouins in the deserted land between Beiruit and Zahale in the mountains, and they had one who did. She said hers never does. Guess they do that when they are mad, and how could a well loved, well fed Camel be mad? Chloe's owner passed me a banana and told me to feed her a favorite treat. Below is my reaction to feeling her slobbery tongue grab a piece from my hand. And I say slobbery in only the most polite way.

I am of Arabic descent and I remember calling my brother camel breath as a teasing insult. I asked her, do camels have camel breath... the expression on their faces told me that indeed they do. But check out this beauty! She's quite a looker.

And just like when I interacted with my first baby goat, I will again exclaim, "I WANT ONE!" Don't you?

Have You Ever Seen a White Deer?

My friend Kurt, who lives near Charlottesville, Virginia, and gave me the link to last post's bear cam, also sent me these pictures of a white deer that has been visiting his back yard since spring.
Thank you Kurt! I've never seen a white deer, or anything close to it. I assume it's very rare. He thinks it's a doe, and that the other deer who is a little bigger seen with her is a sibling, possibly male. I wonder, do any of you have the ability to call that?
This one deer had been missing for about 6 weeks and Kurt and his wife were concerned that a hunter had gotten it, because it is a prize to get one with this coloring. He was so happy to see her in the trees again, even though it was hard to see her in the snow.
Thank you Kurt! It's a real treat to see this.

Black Bear Den cam

If you go to www.bear.org or http://www.wildearth.tv/static/bearden you'll see a pregnant black bear in her cave for the winter.

I guess she's been finnicky about what cave to go in and fortunately picked this one with the camera in it of three she has tried out for her hibernation. Once she realized the camera was in there she was upset, hit it a few times, but settled in. I think that was days ago.

Now, just a few minutes ago, the guys did something in to adjust the camera and she left the cave again. I hope she returns and we can watch her in there as she will have her babies and they will grow enough to be really cute by springtime, when they will leave the cave and enter the world.

OOh, there she is... I think. I keep seeing a bunch of hair block the camera, then moving back... Must be the bear standing close to the mouth of the cave, figuring she will reenter.... let's hope. Like when I gave out the Bald Eagle nest cam (thank you to commenter Sizzie for the link), I often tuned in in the morning and left the thing open in the corner of my screen so I could see movement as I worked on other things. It was so great to see the baby left in the nest and what it would do to not get bored... and as it grew, how it would try out flapping it's wings til one day it flew. And it was really exciting to see the mother fly back with a fish for her baby to eat.

Hey, now I can see a little bit of snowflakes falling.. and woah! Breath from someone's mouth or nostrils is showing up in the air!!! Cool! I can hear her breathing too!

I have always wondered how bears, who get hungry like us, and want to eat daily like us, go into some kind of altered state and manage through frigid winters to stay curled up in some kind of den for several months, with no need to eat, go outside or even get up to pee. I mean, we are all stiff after 8 hours of sleeping (well, at least I am these days) and if we don't get up in the middle of the night, using the restroom is top priority when we get up. How do you submerge all those things for 3+ months at a time? And giving birth while in this state? Is that the equivalent of a full body/mind epidural?

Oh wow, it is DEFINITELY the bear standing to the side of the lens now, deciding whether or not to go back in that cave. Whew, it's almost like she is right next to me. I expect this is more action than I'll see most of the winter, until the little ones are born, that is.

I guess this bear has been named Lily and has a Facebook page all her own (little does she know). You can Friend her, lol, if you get on the website. Let me know if you sign in, and if you know of other sites like this...

thanks to the website mentioned above for her FB pix

Today's Giggle

I will try to find out who this cartoonist is. Until then I can't give away credit, where credit is due.