“You’re all wet!” That is a recently extinct expression meaning you don’t know what you are talking about. But in terms of body chemistry it reflects reality: humans are between fifty and seventy-five percent water. (*) We can’t live without it. Extra-terrestrially speaking, our need for water even dominates the current discussion about sending humans to Mars. [To join the
Read more
I have a nagging question on my mind: how smart are these creatures that live amongst me (or better said, that I live with)? Can a frog in the wild be taught by us to do something, anything? A bird? A snake? What about human intervention modifying a spider’s intentions? Around nine p.m. many evenings, I open my door to
Read more
Was that a line in a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood western? Or is it a leftover from a boy’s imagination? Whatever the origin, recently that epithet immediately came to mind. When a first glance brought something yellow into view, I asked myself, “Is that really a snake?” Sure enough it was. At about three feet long and one inch
Read more
Well, I have to eat crow. No, one didn’t fall from the sky onto my plate. Metaphorically speaking, I admit that the Craig’s list ad for a mate for my neighbor frog was premature: he already has one and I think a froglet. I’ve seen them both, but only junior – the size of a child’s fingertip – was hopping about
Read more
Having unique powers of interspecies observation and communication I offer the following from and about my resident frog, Fuzzy. In addition to divining what he says he needs, I can attest to his being of sound fitness and mind. And being one of my best tenants, I can assure you that he is respectful and pays on time. So here
Read more
Despite the title, this isn’t an ode to a Louisville Slugger. It’s about a bat, as in, a creature of the night that’ll get caught in your wife’s pricey coif if she’s not careful. (*) Sure enough, the bat that’s the subject of this piece had chutzpah. I opened the door just a crack, and in he flew. Immediately he
Read more