Heart of Dogness

Yet another sign of Spring: at the beach

On Saturday, my Lovely and Charming Wife and I went to Long Beach (not this one) for a walk. We left the Mutts behind so we wouldn't have to worry about them terrorizing the dogs who walk there (that'd be Gus) or chewing the local fauna (that'd be JoJo). We wandered out to the end to see how Mutthenge had fared over the Winter.

On the way back, we noticed three tiny birds running along the edge of the surf (not much surf at Long Beach; maybe a couple inches). They weren't acting like sanderlings, which are mostly gone by this time of year anyway.

They were Piping Plovers, the earliest I've ever seen. Last year they were here around April 1; the year before, around April 15. Never before in March. At this rate, they'll be year-rounders pretty soon, cluttering up the parking lots at the Mall and demanding that Four Seas stay open through the winter.

Spring is here. WHAT? I said, SPRING IS HERE!

Just about a week ago, I heard the first Spring Peeper of the year. This us unusual. Most years, I'll hear one or two peepers on a warmish day in January. When it gets cold again, they slink back under the mud in embarrassment and pack it in until now. This year, we didn't have any warmish days in January, so the first peeper cranked up last week.

The next day, there were perhaps a few dozen peepers. The third day, pretty much the whole chorus, seven million or so strong. The fourth day, the American Toads added their trills. They're working in shifts, to cover both day and evening hours.

Today, there are flocks of mixed blackbirds: starlings, grackles and redwings, in trees all around my yard.

It's LOUD around here, folks!

The turkey wasn't Ethel's

Finally, we can put this story to rest. The turkey that was assaulting the mail truck in Centerville has been captured and interrogated, and has no idea who Ethel Kennedy is. It's also too old to be hers, and when caught, was wearing brown feathers rather than black.

With any luck, we can now forget this story.

Hyannis Port Mystery 2: The Mystery Deepens

For those of you who remember the Hyannis Port Mystery, I showed the pix to my family on Thanksgiving. My niece pointed out that the original head was right there in the tree with the statue, which I had overlooked:

 
Meanwhile, somebody has stolen the replacement head. Don't know why. It was empty:

 

There was a guy on the corner with a bunch of recycling bins on a trailer (they evidently only recycle once a year in Hyannis Port, but they make a pretty big deal out of it). Maybe he took the spare head.

Hyannis Port Mystery

So there I was, driving through Hyannis Port, doing my job, minding my own business, when out out the corner of my eye I saw:

 
I actually drove past this at first, but backed up to get a better look:

 
That's a little Smirnoff nip for a head. Clearly somebody had waaaaay too much fun this weekend.

Doggies: Your Best Investment

Blagojevich, Madoff, Dreier. Sheesh and Baksheesh. Get a dog. You'll be better off. But don't let one dog see another getting a better deal.

Posting starts up again today

Sorry I've kind of been neglecting the Blog, folks. I've been riveted to the election. Got a new post for later today, and another tomorrow, and another coming Monday.

Michelle Obama in Denver

I know I said I'd try to keep my politics out of this blog, but I've just been watching Michelle Obama's speech to the Democratic convention in Denver, and once again I'm struck by how these are SUCH BETTER PEOPLE than anybody the Republicans will ever think about nominating, and SUCH BETTER PEOPLE than John McCain has let himself become.

I swear, if you even consider voting against these folks, you do not own a soul.

True Dog Stories du Jour

From Dogster's Dog Blog comes the story of Isabella, a Golden Retriever at the Safari Zoological Park near Caney, Kansas, who has adopted three tiger cubs as her own.

Isn't this more or less how Rome got started?

From The Bark Blog, Tamandra Michaels's German Shepherd Borias provides the motive power for her wheelchair. Don't miss the video or Tamandra's blog.

Bat Madness at my house

This has nothing to do with that movie with Heath Ledger and Christian Bale that you've heard of (no, I'm not going to link to it; you don't need my help to find it).

About fifteen minutes ago, I looked up to see a bat flying around the living room. I'd left the slider to the deck open, and in it flew. I thought it had flown out again, so I went to report the interesting news to the family.

I came back down and noticed the bat crouching on a curtain rod, trying to look even smaller than it was. So I went back upstairs, got a couple of Panama hats I keep for just such purposes, and with Dahlin' Daughta's help, persuaded the bat to climb into one hat while I covered it with the other. I went out onto the deck with both hats and the bat in hand, and released it.

It took off, I swear, like a bat out of hell.

Update 1:  Dahlin' Daughta's reaction to the bat was "Oh, my God, it's so TINY!"

Update 2: About twenty minutes after this post went up, Betsy called and asked, "Did you really have a bat in your house?" The answer is yes. Cute li'l thing, too.

Box Turtle

I just took a load of trash to the dump, and on the way I saw an Eastern Box Turtle crossing the road. So I stopped to let it finish crossing, thereby holding up traffic for a few minutes. Nobody squawked at me, although one woman pointed out that I should have put my hazard lights on.

The Eastern Box Turtle is a Species of Special Concern in Massachusetts, which means it's not quite Endangered or Threatened, but it's not necessarily a major voting bloc either. This one is the first I've seen in years. When I was a kid, you could hardly leave your yard without tripping over a box turtle.

More Information: The Davidson College Herpetology Laboratory

Right Whales off Provincetown

There are times when Cape Cod is the best place on earth to live. Like this week, when about one-third of all the North Atlantic Right Whales there are, anywhere, are feeding off Provincetown. You can see them from the beach, as my lovely and charming wife and I did this afternoon. Dinner at Napi's afterward, which would have been worth the trip even if we hadn't seen any whales.

Read the story (of the whales, not my visit). Video below, narrated by Steve Heaslip, who's got to have the best job in the world.

UPDATE: Steve's Right Whale portfolio in the April 18 Cape Cod Times

Satan

Satan is not actually a dog, a breed, or, so far as I know, much of an influence on my life. There are those, however, who suspect that he's a major influence on Gus, or even that Gus is part Satan. I prefer to think not, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

More on Satan at Wikipedia.