Thankful
I missed the Thanksgiving meme that was going around, but let me pause a minute to tell you what I am thankful for. I am thankful for Sudden Apparitions of Way More Individuals of One Animal Species Than You Ever Thought Possible. See, as a long time city dweller, I tend to forget all about the existence of animals– at least, as anything other than a theme for stuffed toys and kids cartoons. I never had a dog or cat. Most of the time the only member of the Animal Kingdom I encounter is other humans.
And then. I happen to be walking around outside the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory after a tour (say), when I see FIFTY-SIX PRAIRIE DOGS in five minutes. Crazy. All running around, with great energy, between their prairie-dog holes. Or I am looking out my sister’s backyard window, and there are FIVE DEER out there, a whole family, strolling along past the neighbor’s kids’ trampoline. And I am reminded that There Exist Animals, who all seem, just like us, to be very busy inded. Just today I went jogging in the park and saw about thirty of these small, brown birds I’d never seen before scampering away from passersby. But the craziest of all are the ground squirrels– who one week emerge from the ground and chase each other around maniacally trying to breed, and then disappear again for the rest of the year. In their mad rush, they don’t even bother to stay away from the joggers — they practically collide with your feet as you pass. Animals!
