Search Results for: blog national wildlife day animals on my mind

An Alternative (Please!) to the Adoption of the Month Club

In my last blog, referring to various obituaries written about Patrick Swayze, I talked about how calling attention to a person’s adoption without reason can seem to make a false distinction between permanently adopted family members and other permanent family members. Respect for the concept of permanence is also why I was a bit sad to receive a catalog in the mail yesterday. The National Wildlife Foundation suggests giving your child an “adoption kit” for Christmas. This will include a stuffed animal (size dependent on the price level you choose). In a more “deluxe adoption”, you will receive a book … Continue reading →

How to Adopt a Pet without Adopting the Responsibility

Some people want to adopt a pet or help animals but they don’t want to adopt the responsibility that comes with it. Or maybe it’s not so much they don’t want the responsibility as it is circumstances prevent them from taking it on. (Such as they work too much, don’t have the room to keep a pet, or live in a place where pets aren’t allowed.) Yet, they’re still able to adopt a pet. How? Through pet adoption programs like the ones I’ve listed below. If you want to adopt a pet, but can’t, or, if you’re like me and … Continue reading →

Why I Believe In A Creator

Last Saturday afternoon my husband and I decided it was too perfect a day to spend inside. We took off with our pup to the beach ten minutes away. A sky blue and almost cloudless, turned the waters of Jervis Bay a brilliant mix of turquoise and cerulean shot through with varying shades of green. Fringing the waters of the bay were the deep green bush land of Booderee and Jervis Bay National Parks. Stopping now and then to look out at the view toward the headlands and the small island perched in the middle of the blue, or to … Continue reading →

How Do Monkeys Keep Their Nails Clipped?

Do they even have nails to keep clipped? These are the type of burning questions that keep me up at night. (Okay, they don’t keep me up at night. But I was thinking about it before I drifted off last night.) So I did some cursory Internet searching today and found that apes and most monkeys do in fact have nails, but some have claws. I could not find any mention of how they keep them trimmed. While clever, I’m fairly certain no ape or monkey colony has come up with a nail salon out in the wild. But if … Continue reading →

A World without Gorillas?

Back in September, for National Wildlife Day, I wrote about animals on my mind. Among them were the mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park. They’re on my mind again today because last night on 60 Minutes Anderson Cooper did a report called “Gorillas: Kings of Congo.” The gorillas have never before been in as much danger as they are now. Yes, since I wrote about them just three months ago, their situation has gotten even worse. The rangers responsible for protecting the gorillas and the park have been completely driven out. The land where the gorillas roam has fallen … Continue reading →

Happy Fall, Y’All!

Autumn’s here! The autumnal equinox took place at 5:51 a.m. Eastern time today. I wish it only felt more fall-like here in Nashville. We had a heck of a summer with above high temperatures. (Actually, we had a stretch of record-busting 100 degree days that made everything –people, plants, and pets—swelter.) Then we got a little reprieve the last two weeks. The air felt a little cooler in the mornings and evenings, and the highs were closer to seasonable. It started to take on fallish aspects. But from Thursday until today we were back to above-average temps for this time … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Sep 3-9

Happy Monday! With the passing of Labor Day, the inevitable end of summer is drawing yet nearer. Maybe you were busy last week taking a late summer vacation, or perhaps you were adjusting to the back-to-school grind, and missed portions of the Pets Blog. Never fear, Aimee and I are here with a review of what we wrote on: Monday, September 3 Ah, Labor Day. Ever since 1999 I’ve never viewed them quite the same. Then came the summer of 2004, where Murphy and Kitty and a hurricane name Frances had a lot of fun. Tuesday, September 4 In memory … Continue reading →

National Wildlife Day: Animals on My Mind

National Wildlife Day, which is today, is a day to celebrate wildlife. Which gives me the perfect excuse for writing about some animals I’ve had on my mind recently. Ones Close to Home At the beginning of the summer I went to Art Pancake’s Tusculum Feed Center. No, it’s not a pancake house. It sells animal and pet food of all kinds, and also rents out various equipment as well as fills propane tanks. That’s why I went. Our tank was empty but we were fixing to grill soon. As I waited in line, the people in front of me … Continue reading →