Perimeter check. Armed with only my gloves, a pair of pruners, and my tiny chainsaw, I set out to search my yard for plants that don’t play fair. Of which there are several. If I were to conduct a contest for the Plant-that-is-the-Biggest-Pain-in-the-Neck, the following, I believe, would be the winners. I will include photographic […]
Author: Evelyn J. Willburn
Update on “the cat came back”
My friends, I snuck in and made a few updates to yesterday’s post. I realized that I had let slide a perfectly good opportunity to reference Edgar Allen Poe, and I simply couldn’t let that stand. I mean, I couldn’t, could I?
And the cat came back!
One does worry so about one’s fur babies. Perhaps if I had more cats, I would fret less about the one, but I doubt it. Anyway, my dear Abner (Abilene, Kansas for short) didn’t come in last night. He has been a little bit unsettled lately by the firecrackers going off in the neighborhood, and […]
The Dive
Chapter Twelve in “Decades with the Squad,” by my late father, William Palmer Jervey, Jr. An evident factor in this tragic episode is the emotional burden placed upon the rescuer when you must tend a patient who is somehow close to you. In this instance said burden was quite weighty due to the long-standing and […]
“Dallas”: Guest blog by Laura J. Graham
Blogger’s note: see my post “It wasn’t all cats and dogs” for some backstory on my sister Mary’s pet skunk, whom she named Dallas. I must ask her where she got the inspiration for that name. You’ll notice in the stanzas ahead that it lends itself well to rhyme. To wit: *”Alice” is the collective […]
Genius Fly Trap
“You kill one,” said the old man from his wheelchair, “and ten more will come to the funeral.” This was not a mob boss plotting to get his enemies into a confined space. Rather, it was my dear old Daddy discussing houseflies with his daughter, who was looking for more and better ways to kill […]
A Family of Bobcat Wranglers
This story might be a miniature version of a braided essay, there being at least three major strands to it. First, let us establish what I mean by Bobcat. I refer not to the 30-odd pound wild feline, but instead to the small-by-comparison piece of heavy equipment. Like this guy, which picture I found on […]
It wasn’t all cats and dogs
My friends, I have written at some length about family pets, past and present. But I fear I may have misled you in a fundamental way by discussing only those pets that followed the canine or feline persuasion. During my storied childhood we had pets of all shapes and sizes and attitudes towards life. There […]
Update on my book: feedback requested!
My latest task is to write a 150-word description of my book. Such description must be simple yet engaging, brief yet packed full of tantalizing details. . .here’s my first stab at it, and I would be most grateful for some constructive criticism. . .so here goes. Book Description: Which is funnier, a loaf of […]
The Prince of Wales Pet Predicament
About twenty years ago, my dog Bandit came down with hot spots. I vaguely remembered the term from childhood, when one of our long-haired dogs suffered from the same malady. I thought at the time that it was just a sore that developed when the hair got matted and rubbed the skin. Not so! Watching […]