Animal Tales

Sunday, my friend Barbara White hosted a lavish cook out for the whole Cowart Clan at her home on Turtle Lake. She commandeered a huge BBQ grill from the management and obtained the use of a lounge overlooking the lake. And she served, among other things, her famous Chopped Olive In Whipped Cream Cheese, my favorite.

Ginny prepared a platter of deviled eggs, Helen brought luscious pineapple, Donald grilled burgers, Eve brought lemon cake, and other folks brought over favorite dishes — and we all talked about animals.

When we strolled on the pathway around the lake and on the dam spillway, we watched a 4-foot gator unsuccessfully stalk some water bird. As we lounged outside talking we watched an osprey furnishing a nest. I saw a water snake swimming among the lilies — and we all talked about animals.

As several of us sat outside smoking, a retarded girl and her family feed breadcrumbs to the school of fish that gather at the dam. These fish are so accustomed to people feeding them that the school can detect the vibrations of footsteps on the dam and will actually follow people, crowding close in hopes of bread crumbs.

We watched an anhinga, sometimes called a snakebird because it swims with only its head above the water, catch fish and bring them to a partially submerged log to flip over and swallow head-first. We counted 15 turtles sunning on that log. The anhinga saw the retarded girl throw breadcrumbs, it waited for the fish to gather at her feet, then it dove and caught one of the gathered fish to carry back to the log. Again and again it did this. Fascinating — And we all talked about animals.

Of course we gossiped about family members too.

And, as we did, I gained the strangest insight.

Mark and Eve are the two gentlest people alive. They are sensitive, retiring, quite, shy, timid, soft — and as, from a distance, I watched them stroll along the dam, I told the others that someday God would use Mark and Eve to accomplish some heroic task, a feat requiring great courage and personal danger. It’s hard to see them as heroes, but they will be. I’m sure of it. That was the oddest feeling to have about this unlikely couple — and we talked about animals.

Yesterday Mark and Eve got a new kitten, Simba. This new cat, which they deliberately went to the humane society and got, adds to the four cats they already own!

Why in the world would any sane person want more than one cat?

But, yesterday also, Donald and Helen went to a different humane society shelter and got a dog. It adds to the four cats they already own.

Must be some hereditary genetic defect in my offspring.

Helen said that as they browsed among the cages at the pound, a family came in also looking for an animal to adopt. The two rambunctious boys, ages about 7 and 9, dashed from cage to cage yelling, “I want this one! I want this one”!

The tired young mother turned to Helen and said, “How’d you like to adopt two boys instead of a dog? They’ve had all their shots and they’re almost housebroken”.

Helen and Donald chose a dog instead.

The family engaged in a long conversation about cat carriers and …

———

It’s 4:45 a.m and I just got back from seeing about a neighbor who suffered another heart attack, his third. A few minutes ago, I saw Rescue 10 unit pull up to his house, put my slippers on and went over. Warren was still conscious as they gave him shots and fixed an IV, so I knelt beside him and chatted as they prepared him for transport.

I offered him these words of Christian comfort:

“You can’t die yet. Who would I borrow tools from if anything happens to you”?

It only hurts when he laughs.

Carol, his wife, will keep me posted.