Red Ball
Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 04:02PM 
I need the Red Ball or else I won’t eat. The Blond One better be there too, sitting, with no threat of getting up to “do something else.” This means having the white thin block in her lap, or a New Yorker with those turning pages, or ideally she is actually ON THE FLOOR with me.
I like each crumb, one at a time. Before getting to the point of crunching while looking over my withers, one side back and forth each crumb, the Red Ball is rolled only onto soft patches for me to retrieve. I never know how many times. Whatever I want.
I like to get the Red Ball and avoid her hand before charming her for another roll. I am good at batting it in designs around my Tipsy Bowl, getting closer and closer, with shorter bats between my two front ones. No Red Ball = No Eat.
It squeaks, the Red Ball. It’s as close to talking, as I will ever get. I use the Red Ball to attain a variety of Poodle necessities such as walks, rides upstairs to bed, wrestling and play time, food etc. You Taller Ones make life so complicated by not just asking or stating what you want.
When she comes in the door, or down the stairs, or out from another room it is all the same, as though she had been away, never to return, like the Tall One that left. I get excited and extra extra happy. It makes me want to eat!! Even though I am not hungry per se, I want her to know that I need her each and every time she has been out of eyesight.
This brings me to another point… You Taller Ones, or Lower Legs, I never hear or see or smell the need in you. I want the Blond One to need me so bad! Most times she does get on the floor. Ahh I could let her look at my eyes endlessly.
Black Crowned Night Heron
Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 03:52PM  |
| The Black-crowned Night Heron has been spotted in Hull Village recently… |
|
Hull is host to an unusual avian summer visitor whose seasonal home is on top of and deep within the trees. Maybe you have seen it cast its daunting 45-inch shadow in Hull Village while scanning from the dusk sky for fish, crustaceans, reptiles, or insects. It is the watchful and confident Black-crowned Night Heron, or by its proper name Nycticorax, meaning “night raven,” for its nocturnal hunting habits and caw-like protest noise. Its habitat is found near water on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. According to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, this heron’s numbers are increasing after the cessation of DDT use and cleaner harbor water. The Black-crowned Night Heron’s wide habitat and higher place on the food chain makes it an indicator of ecosystem health. Linda
Cocca, coordinator of the Wildlife Information Line for the
Massachusetts Audubon Society, was taken aback by the sighting in Hull.
“I was just speaking to our ornithologist, who says the closest nesting site of the Black-crowned Night Heron is on Sarah Island in Hingham. There is nothing closer to Hull in our reports or in the bird atlas.” Resembling a penguin to the layperson’s eyes, it is a stocky bird with a short neck, black bill, gray wings and white underpinnings. Its legs are short and a yellowish pink, and its eyes are like amber red marbles. Gender is hard to discern, the only difference being that the female is slightly smaller. Arriving sometime in March from their winter homes as far south as Mexico, they unpack to then construct rather primitive-looking nests from chaotically stacked sticks lacking in insulation. There may be as many as a dozen nests in a single tree, as they are colonizing nesters. Eggs are a pale greenish-blue and heron clutches number anywhere from three to five. The young get equal care from both parents; in fact, the generous heron has been known to brood chicks not even of their ilk. Chicks are fed a delectable mixture of partially digested frogs, fish, and crabs, and make their fledgling appearances after about six weeks. Many fall to their early demise at two or three weeks old when they begin to climb about the nest, unable to fly. In the middle of July, the brooding colonies disperse and take to their seaside roosting lookouts for ample feeding opportunities. By October, the industrious herons start heading south again. Should you come upon this formidable bird, be careful. Aside from its loud squawking, it will also empty the contents of its stomach if disturbed. |
Excused Absences
Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 03:47PM why can’t I breathe
why am I still breathing?
why didn’t we stay married? why didn’t we stay in Hanover?
why didn’t I homeschool her? why did she sit in that seat? why didn’t she leave 5 seconds earlier? why didn’t she leave 1 second later? why didn’t the red light change ½ second sooner? why did Mary Hall have to drive that direction?
why didn’t I get her a Vanilla Frosted donut with colored sprinkles that morning… with an iced vanilla hazlenut extra light with 15 sugars? why did she have cramps two days before? why didn’t I call her at school on her cell phone? why didn’t I send her a text message?
when she asked me what to do when someone says ‘I love you,’ way too soon why didn’t I tell her to run away and fast? why did I suggest that she entertain someone like this? why did I like the girl?
why didn’t Mike Beaudet leave me alone? why wasn’t she born 3 seconds earlier? why didn’t I make her pitch for Hingham? why didn’t I know about all the days she was getting rides home? why didn’t I let her in cars with friends? why didn’t that matter? why wasn’t it windier that morning?
why did I think having a career was good? why didn’t I stay put? why did I work so much? why did that become important? why didn’t I let her use the good shampoo and conditioner?
why didn’t we play Scrabble the night before? why did I lend her the book ‘Middlesex?” why did I give her $20? why did she leave me the sweet note saying ‘thanks for the dough, Mom. <3’? why did she make the bed that morning? why did she clean her room and organize and redo it the week before?
why didn’t I rescue you from being lonely? why did I think there would always be so much time ahead of us to make that 15th year make sense? why did I know I could always dry your sweet beautiful tears? why did I let you go? why didn’t I listen to you? why didn’t people listen to me?
why do rocks have order and shape and sense? why do puddles care to hold reflections? why do dogs love so much? why do we think rainbows are so special? why do we live in square, sharp houses?
why was it OK to leave class? why did you think having all your absences wiped clean would make leaving OK? why did you give away your power to decide? why did you want to die? why do I know why I want to?
why did I sometimes leave you in sadness? why did I think I would be there enough later? why didn’t we go to Atlantis down the water slides? why didn’t I take you to Water Country in early May?
why didn’t we just move to where you liked it better? why did the world have to make it so hard for you to have the Mom you had those last months? why didn’t they know you would die since they seemed to know everything else? why did they take my time from you? why did I let them have it? why did I think it was important to fight?
why did I just find the little pencil drawing you did two days ago? why did I know how to read the words you wrote that said, “drowning in oceans of regret – this is so terrible and I will not forget.”
why did you watch the 700 club when you were 7? why did you pray and cross yourself? why did you draw angels escorting hearts away from the earth before you died? why did you write in blood on May 15th that it was so close to the end? why did you believe in God?
why you? why not?
Status
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 11:26PM just trying to keep food around and cable on… I will be back with more focus and energy at some point. hoping everyone is enjoying the summer.
Jeffrey Seglin and The “Right Thing”
Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 09:41PM Jeffrey L. Seglin
The time could come when I identify the forming of some outrage… Looking at this picture I most certainly have never been on ANY kind of date with this “man” of ethics…
Thanks Shirls!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 08:53AM
Shirley started by filling her nice car with dirt, roots, pots, plants, flowers, seeds, tools, food and a hummingbird feeder. Her arrival was quite a site. Determined to get me back into the swing of spring she directed our four hour effort and then it was up to me.She made a second trip with more colorful things. Then other friends donated living treasures. I have always been a collector of rocks but I like doing things with them. Otherwise they get a little restless. I love the numbers idea!
A lot of rocks goes a little ways!
I Got Mail! From My Diary
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 09:27AM Dear Lucy,
I don’t feel neglected. Not at all. From my vantage point, there are so many different windows arranged in front of me…and I sit here all day watching those windows open and close—some with curtains, others with shades…some with no decorations at all.
Dear Diary
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 02:23PM I have had to ponder long and hard as to why I even have you in my life.
Bullying in the Most Vile Form
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:31AM Another obvious deficit is their lack of conscience
Looks Like Someone is Leaving a Trail... Thankfully
Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 09:19PM Updated on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 12:40AM by
Lucy Wightman
Interstingly this “person” was obsessed with Torri and the constant, sustained need to exert such energy into causing pain is beyond words.
Does Anyone Know a Chamarka?
Friday, March 14, 2008 at 09:17AM Updated on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 09:46PM by
Lucy Wightman
The accounts have since been closed following the posting of your comments and mine. Cowardly acts of violence hiding under the cloak of anonymity.