Harry the hound says “Hi!"

Yesterday I saw a couple of bees checking out the few blossoms left. This coming Friday, for the  first time locally this season, there’s snowflakes in the weather forecast. I’ve decided that, if the  leaves get mulched, the  grass will be in better shape come spring. If the leaves don’t get mulched, there’ll be that many more places for queen bumblebees and other critters to overwinter. I need to take a similar approach to many other  aspects of life. There’s one good or another. It’s not all win / lose. That kind of perspective could actually result in some sense of tranquility, a rare and fleeting sensation these days.

Meanwhile, I’ve at a loss trying to understand what triggers prompt queen bees to “hibernate” and what causes drone bees to die instead of overwinter. Presumably they starve but I’ve not yet found a satisfactory description of the whole sequence of events.

SiSi says, after the stress of meeting a new friend, nap time

Photo by J. Harrington

We’re pleased to announce the arrival of a new member of the household. Harry the beagle has joined us as the Better Half’s personal rescuer dog. [photos soon] Franco, her border collie rescue dog, walked over  the rainbow bridge some weeks ago and, after a grieving period, the empty spaces in the house and our hearts are ready to be filled again. Harry is taking his time and carefully considering the implications of the new arrangements in his life, including sharing space with SiSi, my lab crossbreed rescue, who’s about twice Harry’s size and weight. So far, so good as they say. 

Man Dog

By Jim Harrison

I envied the dog lying in the yard

so I did it. But there was a pebble

under my flank so I got up and looked

for the pebble, brushed it away

and lay back down. My dog thus far

overlooked the pebble. I guess it's her thick

Lab fur. With my head downhill the blood gorged

me with ideas. Not good. Got up. Turned around. Now I

see hundreds of infinitesimal ants. I'm on an

ant home. I get up and move five feet.

The dog hasn't moved from her serene place.

Now I'm rather too near a thicket where

I saw a big black snake last week that might decide

to join me. I moved near the actual dog this time

but she got up and went under the porch. She doesn't like

it when I'm acting weird. I'm failing as a dog

when my own kind rejects me, but doing better

than when I envied birds, the creature the least

like us, therefore utterly enviable. To be sure

I cheeped a lot but didn't try to fly.

We humans can take off but are no good at landing.

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