Rocky

My world is pretty small these days. Still, I manage to have some amazing things happen to me in this reduced sphere. Take the squirrels as an example.

We moved in here 1 year ago this week. In that  time we've  had deer and all kinds of birds. Then came the squirrels. And of course I have to feed them. And then I need to have one eat from my hand, Central Park style. It took over 8 months but I did it.

One now eats from my hand daily. Just wraps his lips around the peanut and we both let go at the same time. He doesn't tug at all, and never uses his teeth. It's a wonderful feeling of connection as we look right into one another's eyes. They don't  carry rabies so you're risking only a nip.

Now that was cool enough but today he slipped and his paw touched my finger as he got his nut, and we both just looked at one another and then he left. Came back about 4 PM and this time I held my finger out and he took it while he got the nut. It's such a cool feeling because these ain't New York squirrells. Such a light  touch, I can see how he gets around so quickly. Pretty cool , huh?

Sue was there and almost got a picture. We'll keep trying!

The Cat House

Midnight, our resident stray, has a new home. After over a year of trying to make him comfortable; while at the same time taking care of my own allergic reactions to him; he finally has a better home than he did for the last winter. At that time he was living in our garage on an old bedspread with a heating pad to help him keep warm. This year the heating pad will be located at one end of his wicker home, and connected to a timer, which will offer him a few options in relation to how much heat he actually wants.

It’s been a year in which we have come to know one another a bit better, each respecting the others limitations and idiosyncrasies more than we first did. For instance; I now know that he strikes me with his paw as a sign of affection after I stop playing with him; while he has learned to not use his claws on me. Since he does live outdoors I cannot have his nails clipped, as that would leave him defenseless.

He has also learned not to wander too far from home, stranding himself in other people’s garages without food or water for several days. He has also learned not to cross the big open yard in back of our house which makes him a convenient target for the many hawks in the area. Last year he was actually swept up by one of these aerial predators. It was a short flight which left his ear damaged from the hawk’s talons. It actually changed the pitch of his “meow.”

The new home is of wicker construction, and was acquired by Sue at a yard sale for less than one dollar. I had already purchased a “cat bed” for him, complete with catnip, but he just kind of looked at it in a curious manner. He never even tried to lie down in it.

By contrast, from the moment Sue bought this wicker palace home, Midnight was very much interested in it. There is even a sun roof for him on top to use on nicer days. Currently, we are furnishing the inside, using Snoopy's doghouse as a guide for what Midnight might like. A small pool table is not out of reach; and a transistor radio or tummy TV is certainly affordable. But the Van Gogh is definitely out.

"My Life With Charlie Brown" by Charles M. Schulz edited by M. Thomas Inge

This book was a total surprise to me. I grew up reading Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang. My freinds and I were always entertained at holiday times with the Halloween and Christmas specials. They are still played today for a whole new generation. There's a reason why these classic characters are still valid today.

Charles Schulz never wrote a full autobiography. Rather, he left a series of speeches, Commencement Addresses and a few short writings about his life before and after the creation of Peanuts. Mr. Inge has taken these various writings and given us a work that is as close to an autobiography as may be possible.

Mr. Schulz was a very devoted Christian. In addition to his daily syndicated Peanuts strip, he wrote some inspirational Peanuts strips for over 70 Christian publications.Mr. Inge also reprints here some of the inspirational speeches given by Mr. Schulz, in which he expounds upon the thin line he walked in order to get his message of Faith out to the general public in his daily strip.

His war time experience is tremendously underplayed, he only writes of it in terms of a timeline. The day he was drafted his mother died. When the war was over he found that he was a Christian. No spark, no magic moment. Just a realization of his Faith in the wake of losing his mother and then his experiences in the war.

A great history of the Peanuts strip told by the creator himself. For instance, did you know that Mr. Schulz wanted to call the strip "Li'l Folks" but couldn't because there had been an earlier strip called "Little Folks"? Or that he wanted it to be called "Good Ol' Charlie Brown" instead? The syndicate came up with the "Peanuts" title, which Mr. Schulz despised until the end.

His philosphies and motivations are all laid bare in these priceless letters and speeches. They offer a unique insight into one of America's most beloved comic strips - "Good Ol' Charlie Brown."