lutrian dreams - Zoo Stories

Tribute to a mantis

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:48:21 +0100

A praying mantis.

Ken and I attended a most unusual and wonderful wedding this past June. Lars and Sharon thanked their guests for sharing in the joyful occasion with the offer of praying mantis nymphs. I happily accepted, and we brought two praying mantids home in the Chinese food takeout container Lars provided.

I left for the field, with Ken agreeing to undertake the task of setting up a small terrarium for the mantids (we knew they would die outside in just two short months, if we released them to the wilderness of our flower and herb pots). After a bit of research, I discovered that more than likely these mantids would not live together in happy harmony. It was a nice thought, to send each guest (or couple of guests) home with a Lars and a Sharon mantis, but mantids are carnivorous and cannibalistic in tight quarters. We can only hope that Lars and Sharon are not.

Ken set up two terrariums and dutifully caught bugs on the front porch, turning on the porch light in the middle of June in the hopes of enticing a variety. When I arrived home from the field, my mantids were healthy in their terrariums. I gave one away to my field partner. Soon we discovered they had voracious appetites and amused our coworkers with lunchtime runs to the pet store and chirruping plastic bags of crickets stowed in our offices.

I made somewhat infrequent runs to the pet store for ten crickets at a time, and my mantis would hungrily eat each one (except for those that drowned themselves in the water bottle cap that provided the mantis with water for any of its potential needs). Recently I purchased a plant to replace the withering sticks that we had kept in the mantis habitat. I knew that she (or he, as Ken always thought of the mantis) was probably nearing the end of her short life. Mantids really aren't supposed to live very long, and I wanted her to enjoy some green.

Image courtesy of http://www.entomart.be/

This morning I left home planning a run to the pet store in between work and a CSA meeting, knowing my mantis was probably ready for a feast. She hasn't been very lively in a while; but sometimes she would get this way before molting, which usually resulted in a noticeable growth spurt. However, Ken called me later in the morning to let me know the mantis had died in the corner of her terrarium that she had occupied since the previous day.

I know she was alive last night, and I hope she died of a happy old age and not a lack of crickets. Lars informed us that this is the oldest mantis he knows of from the wedding favor bunch. Ken put her in the freezer to take back to Lars and Sharon. Lars apparently has grand plans to cast her in metal.

Zoom, zoom

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Mon, 28 May 2007 23:36:56 +0200

Playing with the new camera

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Mon, 28 May 2007 23:31:32 +0200

Annapurna, with the resolution significantly reduced...

New pet food experiment

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Wed, 09 May 2007 22:12:52 +0200

Well, we don't have kids.

Lazy Sunday

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Sun, 06 May 2007 14:57:46 +0200

I've decided to model my morning after Annapurna. It's sunny but breezy, the perfect day to lounge.

Beginnings of a trail dog

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:16:37 +0100

I bought Kaia a new Wolf Pack this week, so she can start carrying her own food and water on our trips. I had to order the pack, since the only place in town that carried them was out. I was impressed with the customer service of this small company and with their expedient processing of my order. The pack arrived from Oregon three days after I placed my order- nearly record time for Ester!

I picked out the Banzai style pack- Kaia is a small dog, so her load capacity is small enough that I wanted the expedition style for most purposes. On really short hikes, I can always carry her snack. I'm sure I'll have updates as to the quality of the product, but I am impressed so far. The pack hardly shifted at all during our first field test.

Bliss on a sunny, March day

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:21:09 +0100

We're all happy to have the sunshine back. A few weeks ago, I noticed that we could actually feel the sun's warmth. Annapurna has taken to sitting in the window, where she can bask in the direct rays. Our temperatures are colder than they should be at this time of year, but I think the blue skies make up for it. I'm not the only one who feels this way. I think my puppies have expressed it perfectly:

Snuffling in snow

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:23:50 +0100

Kaia is our snowbaby. She loves to snuffle in fresh, white powder.

Night-time Huntress

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:22:41 +0100

Annapurna, hunting bugs by lamplight.

Ordinary night

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 22:16:37 +0200

It was a good night to be a dog, and a good night to be a person. Fall is hanging on, and the dogs and I walked on the trail. I saw a ruffed grouse, but no one else did. Kaia was busy sniffing at the place where a moose bedded down, and T.J. was busy eating grass. He may be a Labrador, but we've never claimed he was a birding dog!

We came home and cuddled together on the couch, until I decided that 56 degrees is actually not a normal temperature for a house (or a cabin). I admit that I was largely motivated by the poor cat when I disrupted our snuggle session to start a fire in the woodstove. She was puffed up as much as her short, close coat will allow, even curled up on top of the receiver for the television. (It's her favorite winter spot.)

It was also a good night to be a Ken. He spent the evening outside with apple cider (not the kind in jugs... the kind in bottles), tools, a big old Ford, and a friend and neighbor. He had good conversation (reminiscent of sushi economics?), a warm and fuzzy buzz, lots of laughs; and he came in to a warm fire and some really happy dogs.

I guess their teeth will be clean.

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 23:24:40 +0200

P.S. When you are going to be gone for eight days, and you have two dogs that non-dog friends will be watching, buy dog bones. Lots of them. Apparently, this works so well that the dogs won't even notice you're gone... Or at least, they hardly notice we're back.

If you have a very needy cat, on the other hand, who only sleeps well when she's curled by your legs under the covers... Well, you're out of luck. Or at least I was. Annapurna bit into my thigh with all of her might and left red tooth skidmarks and bruises. She came back to cuddle not a minute later. And fell asleep.

Who said cats are more independent?

They grow up so fast

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Thu, 18 May 2006 19:22:09 +0200

We're on our last bag of puppy food.

Tale of a cowbell

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Wed, 03 May 2006 18:20:44 +0200

When Kaia was becoming housetrained, we hung a cowbell from the door on a string. We would ring it everytime we asked if she wanted to go Outside (a term not used lightly in this house... we even spell it out if we don't plan on letting our two Canis lupus loose on the world). One day Kaia got the idea, and now we have a surefire signal that we need to get to the door on the double.

Annapurna has always been an inside cat, and she will remain so due to the large number of predators Outside (including owls, hawks, foxes, and our neighbors' dogs). However Annapurna has grand dreams of one day romping in the yard with the dogs. She watches jealously from the window ledge as they play in the snow, and her yowls can be heard through the window from across the yard. Her little nose twitches vigorously when fresh air enters a room, and her sniffs can be heard across a room. When it was 20 below, Annapurna would even bravely take a gingerly step onto the frigid porch. We would dump snow on her head to discourage this behavior.

Now that it is nice Outside, she's becoming more certain that there is a world of adventure that she is missing out on. She's a smart cat. She knows the drill. So she will walk up to the door, ring the cow bell, and take a step back. She looks at me and waits patiently. When I make no move to open the door, she gives me a look. It's withering. "What's the problem? I rang the bell... now open the door." It's hard to tell her no when I rush for the door every time the dogs ask. Poor Annapurna. There's no explaining to her that this is for her own good.

Carbohydrate addicted dog with an eating disorder

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Tue, 02 May 2006 21:02:20 +0200

I have a carbohydrate-addicted dog with an eating disorder. He binge eats, and then he vomits.

I discovered this problem a few months back, when I couldn't find my bag of bagels. We'd had a breakfast party at work, and I had bagels left over. I was almost certain I had brought the bagels home for the weekend. When I couldn't find my bagels on Saturday morning, I felt like I was losing my mind. Particularly because I had the cream cheese for the bagels. I looked everywhere. No bagels.

At work on Monday, I also could not find my bagels. No one in my office is cheap enough to take an almost full bag of bagels that they didn't buy. I looked in my car, under the seats... no bagels.

A few days later, I was sitting on the couch when I noticed a shiny plastic something in T.J.'s crate. It was just peeking out from underneath his doggy bed. Walking over to investigate, I discovered the remains of the bag of bagels... one quarter of the plastic bag, which T.J. had so carefully tucked underneath his bed.

I have to hand it to him, the dog isn't exactly stupid. He had pulled the bagels off the shelf; and because he knew this would get him in trouble, he hid the evidence. I also have to say that he isn't exactly smart. If you're going to commit the crime of bagel stealing, you should never hide the evidence under your bed.

I found this toy the other week, and I think it would be a great joke to buy it for T.J. If it doesn't smell like a bagel, he won't really get it. But I'll sure have a good laugh!

I think perhaps T.J. has learned his lesson, after facing a very furious, very hungry Mommy. Yesterday I discovered that my moldy half-loaf of bread was stolen from the trash can overnight. Proof that T.J. applied more brain power to this event: the bread was no longer wanted by anyone in the house, thus its disappearance could possibly go overlooked, and he placed the chewed-up plastic bag back in the trash can, where it would hardly be noticed. Of course, he has been a very sick boy ever since. Maybe next time he'll think twice if he smells mold.

So, yes, ~~my dog~~ Ken's dog eats three days' worth of carbs at once and hides the evidence. I think if he were a person, this would land him in the hospital for an eating disorder.

Knitting mohair bikinis

nospam@example.com (Megan) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:21:00 +0200

I hate mowing the lawn. So does Ken, and so we hardly ever do it. It's not a good thing when you have multiple dogs running around in the yard. Too much potential for a special surprise. And so I always vow to be better about mowing. But I hate mowing the lawn.

Last summer, I came up with a solution to the problem. Because we live in a commune, or close enough, I proposed my idea to the members of the commune. The women are all in agreement. We should get a goat.

What a perfect animal. It will mow the lawn. It will play with the dogs. It will provide milk, from which we can make cheese. I love goat cheese. It will also provide a sustainable source of wool. And it will provide manure for my garden. I think this is marvelous! The commune will even help me take care of it.

One member of the commune even theorized that we could quit our jobs and open a stall at the farmer's market. The Commune of Lower Stone selling goat's milk, goat cheese, goat's milk soap and lotions, and mohair knit bikinis! It would be a wonderful life.

But Ken doesn't want a goat. How could you not want a goat?