I just saw an interesting phenomenon, so interesting and unusual that I had to record it before I forgot it, something I do a lot of lately. Some say that forgetting may have to do with getting hit in the head, but how would I know?
Right. I was talking to Schuster, you know, "Who's a good boy; who's a good boy; who's a good boy!" The more I said it, the faster his lovely, quite hairy tail went, faster and faster, until at one point it was moving so rapidly it was just a blur back there, and I saw his back end lift off the floor, just a fraction of an inch, but I swear it was a real lift off. He was so startled that he whipped his head around and snapped at whatever he thought was causing the movement. But lift off? My goodness. Who would have thought that was even possible?
Well, spring at last. The other adventure that has been nagging at my memory is about Simon and the Snake, back at the smaller pond. Simon is a really adventurous dachshund. He walks the rocks around the pond, balancing himself precariously as he moves around the pond. He knows there are creatures under the rocks, and this time he was more than right, for Mary and I had just seen a very large garter snake leave the water and slither into the rocks. I had stood silently immobile for a time, something I find easier to do now than it used to be. Before the advent of Simon, the snake would stick its head out from behind the rock, one side then the other. Once Simon began his circling, the snake, of course, retreated completely. Simon found the snake's rock first time around.
Simon is relentless. He whines, he digs, he moves from one side of the rock to the other. Suddenly he would jerk his head back as if something were striking at his nose, but that didn't deter him. However, since he couldn't move the rock or dig out the snake, eventually he moved on. Once he was farther on, the snake would rear up from behind the rock like a living periscope and survey Simon's progress. That made an interesting image: rocks lining the pond, snake rearing its head, periscope fashion, from behind its rock, surveying the pond and the dog, and Simon, working his way precariously around the pond again until he was back at the snake's rock. I keep expecting Simon to tumble into the pond, but he never does.
Having worn myself out with the antics of Simon and the snake for a half hour or so, I decided to return to the house and take a nap. And that is exactly what I did. 30