Month: September 2013

Ten years ago today…

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Ten
years ago today I brought the most wonderful dog home. 

Rowan was such a funny, sweet puppy.
We were remembering today what he was like his first few weeks with us.  I remember
standing him up (at 12 or 13 weeks) to go outside before I went to bed.
He would totter a couple of steps, then fall over sideways and be asleep
before he hit the floor. At other times he would race through the
kitchen, snatching dish towels off the towel bar and carrying them off
with him, obviously laughing as he went. Then he would snuggle in my lap, give me whiskery kisses, and rest his chin on my arm.

Over the years, Rowan has gone all over the place with me as my
Medical Alert Service Dog. He is quiet and unobtrusive when out and about with me, but I feel his presence and know he’s watching me when awake and even paying attention to where I am when he’s asleep.

I am thankful
for my Rowan every day I have with him. He watches over me all the time, he gives me quiet company, he is my friend. He understands me and loves me, and I love him more than I can say.
 

 

One day when I was feeling down, I turned around from my desk and found Rowan sitting with this pillow just like that. The pillow had been on a chair; I have no idea how it ended up like this.
First day home- September 12, 2003

Praying Mantis

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Today is our first perfect late summer/early fall day, with 52 degrees this morning, rising to the low 80’s with low humidity this afternoon. I spent most of the day outside, relishing the warm sunshine, the light breeze, and the late summer sounds of insects, along with the cry of a Red-tailed Hawk soaring against the clear blue sky and the singing of Chickadees, as they alighted near me to grab sunflower seeds I had spread on the table for them.

I was sitting on the deck reading, when I caught sight of some motion out of the corner of my eye– a Praying Mantis was slowly bobbing as she walked along the railing.

She paused and turned to look at me, even reaching out her forelegs to try and grab for my camera and then my hand.

She walked right up onto my hand, as if curious about what I was

I don’t actually know if this was a male or female. I’ve looked it up, and the best way to tell is to count the segments on the abdomen, but since I didn’t know that at the time, I didn’t check. Next time I’ll know to look. Females have six segments, the last one quite large, whereas males have eight..

The mantis ended up walking up a nearby tree

I’m always glad to see a Praying Mantis here, not only because they are fascinating to watch, but because they are beneficial insects, eating many insect pests. The females also often eat their mates immediately following mating. We saw one female dining on her hapless mate in the garden a number of years ago.