Peckerwood Manor

I discovered Star/Xingxing by accident. I was taking a walk down memory lane for an article and needed a break, so I was reading about temple cats who live with Buddhist monks and are cared for life. That led me to a story about Tibet, which led me to macaques, and then I was sliding down a rabbit hole that led me to Star/Xingxing and her story of survival. Poor girl lost her arm in a wild boar trap, or so the story goes, and was trapped by poachers and either sold to a restaurant or to a street circus troupe. Wherever she was living was not to her liking, and she escaped into a temple and was found by a Buddhist nun who has been her keeper for over a decade. So that she won't be lonely and have a little friend, the nun adopted a stray cat for Star/Xingxing. She's become quite protective of her little friend but has decided cat food is a no-go. 

Tourists visiting a zoo in China are not buying that the bears aren't people in Bear costumes, and they aren't buying the denials. Maylasian Sun Bears are the size of large dogs and like to stand on their hind legs.  These tourists were probably suffering from heatstroke, I scoffed, until I saw this bear standing; these bears look like they are about to put their paws on their hips and begin an enthusiastic Irish jig. I can see why they thought this. Look for yourself. Totally looks like some dude in his leftover Halloween costume. Or, like the zoo called up a talent agency and asked for actors desperate enough to wear a fur costume in 100-degree weather for hours upon hours and willing to sign a waiver that absolves the zoo of anything that happens as a result. As in bitch if you take the job, you are on your own. What about if the actor perishes in the heat? Okay, since you don't hear too well: BITCH YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN! I can see this too. Ever meet a struggling actor? W

Behold! In Peckerwood Manor's glorious trees, one can sometimes spot a wee liquored squirrel - hereafter known as Peckerwood's esteemed Stewed Squirrel™ - who, like most of God's creatures, knows exactly where to find mama's good tastin' krunk. Mainly here. With us.  Is he, as many presume, the reincarnation of Hemingway? Only his novel, "A Moveable Feast of Nuts and Fungi" - which he swears is almost finished; stop riding his ass - will tell. But for now, keep him sauced or he's liable to steal your dolls. And I ain't talkin' Barbie.

Ben is a very lucky man. He's been diving and communicating with seals for over twenty years. Very few of us ever get a chance to be that close to wildlife and interact with them for that length of time. They play, touch him, and look into his eyes with such innocence and purity that speaks directly to why animals are so much better than people. Why so many of us have healing interactions with animals, and why humans don't deserve them. I won't write too much because the video speaks for itself. Turn on CC because his Northwestern English accent sometimes takes effort to understand.

Someone found these darling little owlets under the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, where GunsN'Roses had played a set. Poor creatures were most likely scared out of their wits, hearing Axl Rose growl-screechy sing "Welcome To The Jungle." I like the song, but if I were a baby owl, that would not be on my playlist. Sure, some soothing classic music, but Slash shreds up a storm, probably not.  A team rescued abandoned babies on June 24th, and they are thriving at the Secret World Wildlife Rescue (SWWR) aviary in Somerset, England. The parents thought the nest would be a good place to chill and raise their chicks, but they were probably frightened when the festival began and flew away. The little pair were reunited at the aviary where they live safe and sound from "Sweet Child O' Mine".

      When my parents wanted to get my attention, they did what 99.99% of parents do: Yell.   When dolphins need to round up their chirruns they use baby talk.  In study by PNAS and an article from AP: "Motherese” is a speech pattern that is nearly universal across cultures and languages in human caregivers interacting with children, but evidence among nonhuman species is sparse. Here, we report evidence for motherese in the bottlenose dolphin, a species that shows parallels to humans in their long-term mother–offspring bonds and lifelong vocal learning. They use these whistles to keep track of each other. They’re periodically saying, ‘I’m here, I’m here’,” said study co-author Laela Sayigh, a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution marine biologist in Massachusetts". Dolphins are remarkable animals. Those of you who are part of the Werther's Generation may remember the TV show Flipper.  Flipper was the HBIC* and companion animal of Chief Warden Porter Ricks at

I consider myself an Olympic champion of surfing streaming channels. I came across the series, "Muster Dogs" on Netflix. It follows the training of 5 kelpie puppies. If you're not familiar with the art of mustering (not to be confused with mustarding which is when I drown my potato salad in mustard), it's the training of dogs to herd livestock.  The series follows 5 kelpie puppies as they are trained to become musters. It shows the work, love, and dedication of the dogs and trainers. Watching the puppies grow up and kick ass as herders is amazing. The series also discusses that using herding dogs is a sustainable practice for the land and considerably stressful on the livestock. Herding dogs have been used for centuries by farmers throughout the world.  If you enjoy dogs (who doesn't), learning something new, and seeing the scenery of Australia's farm country, then check it out. BTW: I am not receiving compensation from for this recommendation. Neither is my d

  Judging, mercilessly ( Photo courtesy of WFLA ) DISCLAIMER : I wrote this cursed article a few days before the subject became a topic in Open Post on the D. Just pretend you didn't see it there first, ok? Ok!