tales from the wild metropolis
Fright-night is lurking just around the corner. Frankensteins, mummies, zombies, ghosts, and golems will soon leave their lairs to roam freely through our cities and suburbs, searching for something to eat. Butterfingers, Baby Ruths, and brains—oh my! Reanimated but mindless creatures? HA! They don’t scare me. It’s the ones I’m not so sure I could... Continue Reading →
Since relocating 2 months ago I’ve met most of the folks who share my new building, in spite of having been on the road quite a bit during that time. Travel has hindered my ability to meet my non-human neighbors, though. Oh, I’ve spied a familiar wild face here and there while transporting cardboard to... Continue Reading →
Sometimes you just need to shut out the world for a while, you know? If you can’t relate, I know the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) certainly can. Whether the threat is carnivores or towers of cardboard boxes and a demanding career, there are times when nothing beats a little self-imposed solitary confinement. Carrying... Continue Reading →
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. An astute observation by the Bard, but a bit misleading. Had Will but ventured beyond the Globe Theater’s door he may have realized that humans aren’t the only animals who have acting chops. I’m not talking about critters who pose in front... Continue Reading →
Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky we tend to look up, but the sky actually begins at the earth. ~ Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses I got tangled up in pieces of the sky this morning. Not on purpose, mind you.... Continue Reading →
Walking through a nearby park at dusk the other night, I saw a single spark. Then another. Soon there were too many to count, hovering in the airspace between my chin and my ankles, lighting my way past the pond, the gazebo, and the tennis courts. Who needs a time machine when you have memory... Continue Reading →
When I was in Austin about a month ago, I ran into an old acquaintance… kinda-sorta. I was having a glass of wine at the Hyatt Regency’s outdoor bar when, out of the corner of my eye, I recognized someone I haven’t seen since I left Texas over a decade ago. Actually, I found it... Continue Reading →
The melody seeped into my REM cycle, making me just lucid enough to believe someone was singing a cappella outside my window. But my sleep-clouded brain couldn’t make out the words and I didn’t recognize the voice either. Besides, who would want to serenade me? My sweetheart, perhaps, but he lives two hours away by... Continue Reading →
Next-Door Nature 