This post deals with a couple of different concepts; predator and prey, and caring and compassion. But in this story, they go together! Trust me.
I went for a walk recently. The weather was hot and the sun was shining. I walked a mile up to the local park and then started the walk home. Usually, I have Maggie with me but she is no longer able to handle the heat or the hills so this time I walked alone. Generally, I feel safe when I walk, but I am always aware that you never know if some crazy will come along. Maggie would have been useless as a protector, but no one else knew that so she always makes me feel better.
Anyway, I was walking up a fairly steep hill towards home. In Florida this hill would be just under the heading of MOUNTAIN, but in Pittsburgh it's pretty small as hills go. I was about half way up when I noticed an ant and a spider. I couldn't tell if the ant had the spider on a thread and was dragging it, or if the spider was following the ant. They were staying just about the same distance as they went across the sidewalk. Curious, I stopped to watch. It was soon apparent that the ant was being followed by the spider. I bent over closer to get a better look. (Maybe my run in with the bees didn't teach me much.) The spider pounced a couple of times, and then jumped back. Eventually, the spider did catch the ant. There was nothing profound in the moment. It was just an interesting moment in nature for me.
Finally, I stood up, wiped the sweat from my eyes and continued up the hill towards home. I heard a car approach from behind me and slow down. (It is just the kind of thing I don't like to hear when I'm walking alone.) Hmmm. Someone wanting directions, I hoped? I heard a woman's voice and I looked over.
"Are you ok?" she asked? " I saw you bent over back there."
I laughed and waved. "I'm fine. I was just watching a spider chase an ant!"
She smiled back. " I saw you when I went past and just wanted to be sure you were ok."
Yep, Just a slightly overweight older lady, red-faced, sweat dripping off her nose, bent double, half-way up a steep hill....watching a spider catch an ant.
And a woman taking a moment from her busy day to make sure everything was ok.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Next Time Try a Zoom Lens
I was sweeping the porch the other day. We had cobwebs under the porch roof and in corners and I wanted to get them out. I spied a large one and went at it, broom flailing as I brought it down. How I missed seeing the large bees nest 6 inches from it, I don't know, but what my eyes missed, my broom hit with a bullseye!
Instantly several bees flew at me...and then went back to the nest. Hmmm. They didn't seem to be particularly aggressive. In fact, as I watched, they worked intently on their nest. It was hard to tell what kind of bee they were so I moved in for a closer look. As a rule bees don't bother me, so I peered at them as they did their thing.
Suddenly, (and I do mean SUDDENLY!) 3 bees flew at me. One stung me so fast I never saw him hit me or take off. I just felt it.
Oh yeah, I felt it! It's been years since I've had a bee sting. Well I remember now. They hurt! It starts out stinging and then really gets to stinging. Over the next few minutes the sting gets hotter and hotter . I came inside, grabbed an ice cube, and put it on the sting while I Googled how to remove a stinger. I had heard the new rules but couldn't remember what they were.
As a reminder they are:
Instantly several bees flew at me...and then went back to the nest. Hmmm. They didn't seem to be particularly aggressive. In fact, as I watched, they worked intently on their nest. It was hard to tell what kind of bee they were so I moved in for a closer look. As a rule bees don't bother me, so I peered at them as they did their thing.
Suddenly, (and I do mean SUDDENLY!) 3 bees flew at me. One stung me so fast I never saw him hit me or take off. I just felt it.
Oh yeah, I felt it! It's been years since I've had a bee sting. Well I remember now. They hurt! It starts out stinging and then really gets to stinging. Over the next few minutes the sting gets hotter and hotter . I came inside, grabbed an ice cube, and put it on the sting while I Googled how to remove a stinger. I had heard the new rules but couldn't remember what they were.
As a reminder they are:
- No tweezers.
- Use a credit card or needle and gently scrape the stinger off.
- Apply ice to numb the pain, or apply meat tenderizer to the sting.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Bambi on Ice
Over Labor Day weekend we visited our new Georgia home and this time we took Maggie. She will most likely thank us to never bring her again.
The Georgia house is charming, but inside the floors are mostly wood, with just carpeted bedrooms. 4 broad steps lead up to the porch. When we arrived, Maggie was thrilled to get out of the car. Traveling is no longer easy for her. Wobbly at first, she took her time to explore the grounds. After several minutes she headed for the porch. (I will add here, she doesn't like the steps to our deck in Pittsburgh because they are slippery and she finds them hard to climb.) Only 4 steps, these looked like a piece of cake.
Wrong. Poor girl. She attempted them at a run, but her back feet forgot to follow. I helped her up the steps. She took the porch around the house and then went in the front door. Click, click, click... you could hear every step she took. Hard to believe I had her nails trimmed just the other day!
Inside, I placed her bed on the living room floor and her blanket on the carpet in the bedroom. She started to get a feel for things as she explored the main floor.
Although she had her bed to sleep on, she still had trouble getting up. If her feet hung off the edge she would end up sliding every time she tried to stand. She was like Bambi on ice. Right foot forward, back she slides. Going outside wasn't much better. She eyed the steps and balked. Kind of like a mule...4 feet planted. Every ounce of her body said "I'm not going down those steps"!
That's pretty much how it went. I had to help her up and down the steps and she opted to sleep in the bedroom on the carpeting. We added safety strips to the steps which helped a little, and slowly, she got used to the floors. By the end of the weekend, she was navigating things pretty well. However, I bet if we never took her back there, it would be fine with her.
Poor Bambi.
The Georgia house is charming, but inside the floors are mostly wood, with just carpeted bedrooms. 4 broad steps lead up to the porch. When we arrived, Maggie was thrilled to get out of the car. Traveling is no longer easy for her. Wobbly at first, she took her time to explore the grounds. After several minutes she headed for the porch. (I will add here, she doesn't like the steps to our deck in Pittsburgh because they are slippery and she finds them hard to climb.) Only 4 steps, these looked like a piece of cake.
Wrong. Poor girl. She attempted them at a run, but her back feet forgot to follow. I helped her up the steps. She took the porch around the house and then went in the front door. Click, click, click... you could hear every step she took. Hard to believe I had her nails trimmed just the other day!
Inside, I placed her bed on the living room floor and her blanket on the carpet in the bedroom. She started to get a feel for things as she explored the main floor.
Although she had her bed to sleep on, she still had trouble getting up. If her feet hung off the edge she would end up sliding every time she tried to stand. She was like Bambi on ice. Right foot forward, back she slides. Going outside wasn't much better. She eyed the steps and balked. Kind of like a mule...4 feet planted. Every ounce of her body said "I'm not going down those steps"!
That's pretty much how it went. I had to help her up and down the steps and she opted to sleep in the bedroom on the carpeting. We added safety strips to the steps which helped a little, and slowly, she got used to the floors. By the end of the weekend, she was navigating things pretty well. However, I bet if we never took her back there, it would be fine with her.
Poor Bambi.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Preparing For the Next Stage
For the last 3 years, Larry and I have been on a quest to find our retirement home. Larry will retire next spring and as much as I love Pittsburgh, we will not remain there. We will retire in Georgia, specifically the north Georgia mountains. We will be close to Tennessee as well as North Carolina. In fact, our first focal point was Murphy, NC.
People ask us Why Georgia? The short answer is that we've traveled a lot and we've always liked the area. The longer answer gets more involved and less succinct. We've given up trying to live close to anyone. Our families are so far-flung that living near the kids was only doable if you chose one kid. But I think a lot of the answer has to do with the fact that while we've lived many places over the years, it was always dictated by where work was. This time we had a chance to choose a place just because we liked it.
Initially we were looking to see what kind of housing was available and the price range. The more we looked the more we zeroed in on what really suited us. Last fall I spent one day with our realtor. In 12 hours we drove 300 miles and looked at 10 homes, none of which worked for us. It was exhausting!
This summer we found it. It was a charming 'cabin in the woods', albeit a really nice 'cabin'! The entire house is wrapped in a large, covered porch. The house even came with a hammock, a porch swing and 4 porch rockers just beckoning us to come sit, rock, and sip a glass of iced tea. When you find what you are looking for you grab it, and we did.
While the place is lightly landscaped and has plenty of trees, I think we will be adding a couple that have a special place in our heart. There is a fenced in back yard that is just right for a little apple tree to take root. There are plenty of deer, but I think it will be well-protected. And I'm sure it will thrive once it gets out of that pot and can spread its roots.
Another tree will take root there too. When my daughter's best friend, Liz, married Tim in an outdoor ceremony in North Carolina, the wedding guests were each given a Norfolk Pine seedling as party favors. We brought our seedlings home and nurtured them. The seedlings thrived and many years later they have grown into a lovely potted tree. I think it is time to return it to the wild as it was intended.
Retirement is still several months away, but we are ready for it to arrive. When it does, this little place will be the perfect place for a pine tree, an apple tree, and us to stretch our roots, and grow.
People ask us Why Georgia? The short answer is that we've traveled a lot and we've always liked the area. The longer answer gets more involved and less succinct. We've given up trying to live close to anyone. Our families are so far-flung that living near the kids was only doable if you chose one kid. But I think a lot of the answer has to do with the fact that while we've lived many places over the years, it was always dictated by where work was. This time we had a chance to choose a place just because we liked it.
Initially we were looking to see what kind of housing was available and the price range. The more we looked the more we zeroed in on what really suited us. Last fall I spent one day with our realtor. In 12 hours we drove 300 miles and looked at 10 homes, none of which worked for us. It was exhausting!
This summer we found it. It was a charming 'cabin in the woods', albeit a really nice 'cabin'! The entire house is wrapped in a large, covered porch. The house even came with a hammock, a porch swing and 4 porch rockers just beckoning us to come sit, rock, and sip a glass of iced tea. When you find what you are looking for you grab it, and we did.
While the place is lightly landscaped and has plenty of trees, I think we will be adding a couple that have a special place in our heart. There is a fenced in back yard that is just right for a little apple tree to take root. There are plenty of deer, but I think it will be well-protected. And I'm sure it will thrive once it gets out of that pot and can spread its roots.
Another tree will take root there too. When my daughter's best friend, Liz, married Tim in an outdoor ceremony in North Carolina, the wedding guests were each given a Norfolk Pine seedling as party favors. We brought our seedlings home and nurtured them. The seedlings thrived and many years later they have grown into a lovely potted tree. I think it is time to return it to the wild as it was intended.
Retirement is still several months away, but we are ready for it to arrive. When it does, this little place will be the perfect place for a pine tree, an apple tree, and us to stretch our roots, and grow.
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