Category Archives: Critters

Spider

Posted on September 2, 2011 by sputterpub

A thousand spider webs depend on eaves, enjoin the plants, embroider autumn air. September drinks the chlorophyll from leaves while I walk into webbing everywhere. A strand of stickiness across my face, resisting my impatient fidget twitch, annoying as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Critters, Poetry, Weather | 3 Comments

Black Bug’s Blood

Posted on August 15, 2011 by sputterpub

I just killed a big fat fly. He’d been cruising around my cottage since last night but he didn’t annoy me to murder till this morning. I obliterated him with the back of my little spiral notebook, and then I … Continue reading →

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Tenants

Posted on July 14, 2011 by sputterpub

I was away from the Berkeley cottage for seven days a couple of weeks ago, and it appears there was a change in tenancy during my absence. Relocation is appropriate at this time of year in a college town. The … Continue reading →

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Rats

Posted on June 21, 2011 by sputterpub

I’m sitting in my Berkeley office, which is an uninsulated small structure described by building inspectors as a pretty shed. It has a big desk, plenty of wiring, and several windows, so it’s a nice spot for working in or … Continue reading →

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Opossum

Posted on June 7, 2011 by sputterpub

   We have lots of critters in Berkeley. I became acquainted with more than I wanted in the 17 years of creekside dwelling, but that was probably good, since they are plentiful around me now. I live in a backyard cottage, … Continue reading →

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Serpentine

Posted on May 12, 2011 by sputterpub

     When I was around 7 years old, I had my first acquaintance with rattlesnakes. There were two boys named John in the neighborhood that extended around us, and the fat one’s dad raised snakes for venom. Mostly we played … Continue reading →

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Stupid Pets

Posted on February 24, 2011 by sputterpub

   When I was 5 they gave me the turtle. I don’t remember asking for one. I didn’t name it Myrtle (that was Mom: “Here. Meet Myrtle the Turtle”). I associate the creature’s presence with my terrible tonsillectomy but I also … Continue reading →

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Albert

Posted on January 24, 2011 by sputterpub

     When I was almost 15, my next door neighbor gave me a kitten. My mother was not into pets but Dad prevailed earlier that year, and the family acquired a beagle we named Becky. Mom wouldn’t let Becky the … Continue reading →

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Snail Trail

Posted on January 12, 2011 by sputterpub

  When I was 48, one morning I killed 48 snails. Normally I’m non-violent. I wince at even the mention of cruelty to a bird or mammal, and I don’t eat their meat (but that was a decision first made by … Continue reading →

Posted in Critters, Poetry | 2 Comments

Queen of the Dog Park

Posted on November 23, 2010 by sputterpub

     When I was 41 I took on my last dog. I’d already loved Becky-the-beagle and Ajax and Jack and Ajax again (he lived long and with most of us), but Shelby was the first companion I acquired on my … Continue reading →

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