Animals help make life interesting.
Encounters with wild animals, and pets that belong to somebody else help us learn about ourselves, and the bigger world.
What happens when we do share space and time?
Here are some animals I'm blessed to have met and got to know. Some became friends, and still are. Others, we made a short term deal, or odd partnership.
Bones
Bones is a Rotweiller and lives on a dead end road. He is a couple of miles past the airport on the back of Sewanee Mountain. I was told several neighbors watch out for him. One lady feeds him every day. My work takes me there for deliveries. I always look for him.
Bones got his name when he showed up years ago, he was mostly skin and bones. In the picture above, I was more excited than he was about the photo. He has a big bark. He avoids people, and is skittish, keeping a good distance.
First time I saw him, my friend there said, I don't think he will ever get close enough for you to pet him. I like a challenge like that. My new goal was to make friends with Bones.
After a couple of trips, he let me scratch him on the head. Each time there, I called him by his name and patted my leg without looking at him. He finally got used to me, and learned to trust me. Bones is still cautious and skittish, but now he comes over when he sees me. I call him Bonesy Jonesy, and tell him he's not much of a guard dog. He seems to enjoy the attention as much as I do.
Buttlerfly
When this insect and I crossed paths, he was already gone. Still, I brought him in and put him on my desk for several days. The design and colors on his wings are incredible. Out of wonder and reverence, I protected what was left of him. Over the next week or so, I appreciated the symmetry, shapes, and colors in his wings. What a wonderful Creator we have! So much detail into a common insect like this buttlerfly.
Froggy
This critter showed up a work on a hot July day. He appeared as you see him, sitting on the top bar of a metal handrail. It's a shaded area. There is no grass or trees within fifty yards. I assume he hopped out of the field on the far side of the parking lot. When I saw him, I was surprised, and went and got a cup of cool water. I dribbled the water on him, and he seemed to like that. He was pretty unconcerned about me, and sat there for another hour or so, then he was gone.
Hawk
This guy landed on the dock early one morning at work. He didn't seem to be in any pain or in distress. He wasn't in a hurry to leave. With those eyes, he could stare a hole through the wall. We were impressed with his talons, and big sharp beak. I imagine he caught his share of small animals over the years. We wondered if he saw a mouse or something, and followed it in and landed.
Each bag of corn behind him is four or five inches tall. So he was between 12 and 15 inches tall. When I leaned around the corner to take this picture, he was unconcerned about me and knew I was not a threat.
We left him alone and he hung around for about an hour. Then, he walked into the warehouse, and went under a big shelf.
Another hour passed, and we saw him laying down under the shelf. He was dead. That bothered me, and we all wondered what happenned, or if was just old age.
We think he knew he was about to die. Maybe he didn't want to die alone. For whatever reason, the hawk chose us to be there with him. When we first saw him, he seemed like a big, alert, strong bird. He hid his problems well. We are not so different. I wish I knew more about him.
Praying Mantis - Windshield Surfer
This critter landed on my windshield as I was leaving from a delivery. I stopped so he could easily jump or fly off. He stayed. So I took a couple of pictures through the windshield, then started down the long gravel driveway. As I turned right onto the paved road, he jumped off. I wonder if he does this for entertainment, or if that was the first and only time.
Country Club Coyote
We were mowing a yard on Country Club Drive. It was a getting dark, and I was in a hurry. There is a big hedge in the back, and a small meadow behind that. I turned and there it was, staring at me. A big coyote. This picture is a close as I could get. It trotted off into the hedge. Next time around, it was peeking out at me at the other end of the hedge. Maybe he, or she had pups somewhere. It was a little unnerving, because it was getting dark. The coyote could see me way better than I could see him. I was being watched. The coyote left me alone, and I left him alone.
Shiloh
Shiloh is the biggest goofball of a dog you ever met. He belongs to the Rowe family, who are dear friends of ours. He is big, about 80 pounds. Shiloh is always happy to see us, and never misses a chance to get a good scratch and some loving on. He has beautiful steel gray eyes, and the sweetest personality. He's smart, and figures out how to get past his underground electric fence and go for a run. It's not unusual for him to be gone for a couple of days. So far he always returns, happy and goofy as ever.
Wasp
Summer of 2023. We met Robin, Elliott, and Zackary at Old Stone Fort. On the right going in is a playground area, and some picnic tables. We brought food and soft drinks. Once the food was gone, we were just sitting, visiting, and I was enjoying my Sundrop.
A wasp (the one above) kept buzzing me, and wouldn't leave me alone. After a minute, I knew that I either had to swat it, or make some kind of deal.
I poured the cap half full of Sundrop, and placed it on the table. My hope was, the wasp would go there and leave us alone. It worked!
It landed on the edge of the cap, and leaned in for a drink. We all watched. Two or three seconds went by, then it flew straight up and out of sight. Not long, and it returned for another drink. I got my phone out and started taking pictures. It sat comletely still and drank more sundrop. Each time, it launched straight up, and flew out of sight before returning.
I believe it enjoyed the Sundrop as much or more than I did.
As far as I know, the wasp was not harmed. Our deal, even though it lasted just a few minutes, was unforgetable.