writing

He flew the coop…

For several months, an advertisement has consistently appeared in the Albuquerque Journal’s classified section seeking information about a missing bird — a cockatiel. After seeing the ad for so many times, I finally decided that I should investigate the matter — giving in to my ingrained journalistic instincts. My first reaction was that the birdContinue reading “He flew the coop…”

Human brain 2, squirrel brain 0

Well, maybe I am a bit smarter than the squirrels I’ve been trying to catch in my back yard woodpile. After tormenting our dog Chester and annoying me for almost two months, I finally came up with a way to outfox — oops, I meant outsquirrel — a couple of them. I had about decidedContinue reading “Human brain 2, squirrel brain 0”

They may be lightweights, but they’re smarter than me…

With hundreds of pecan trees in and around our neighborhood, we are a squirrel’s Valhalla. Being partially in the country with lots of hiding places and soft dirt to dig, ground squirrels likely outnumber humans in Mesilla Park. And not unexpectedly, they especially like the wood pile in the southeast corner of our yard, acrossContinue reading “They may be lightweights, but they’re smarter than me…”

What would you name yourself???

A story in last week’s Albuquerque Journal prompted me to think about why humans feel the need to give animals names. The story involved a litter of pups born to a Mexican gray wolf who became famous for her wandering all over New Mexico, apparently in search of a mate and unaware that she hadContinue reading “What would you name yourself???”

A red wall…

The morning was eerily calm, but the sky had an unusual appearance. It wasn’t quite opaque like a high thin cloud cover, but thinner and with a faintly reddish hue. Shortly after about 1 p.m., the western horizon began to take a more menacing appearance, with the reddish color intensifying higher in the atmosphere andContinue reading “A red wall…”

Worrying about horny toads…

I believe the last time I saw (and briefly captured) a horny toad was about 20 or more years ago after I had landed my hot air balloon in the desert on the east side of the Mesilla Valley. I’m not sure why horny toads wandered into my brain this week, but somehow thoughts aboutContinue reading “Worrying about horny toads…”