A Basket Full of Kittens
Everybody Loves Kittens
We love kittens.
We even love those human sized cat dolls they used to sell at Bergdorfs in NYC.
We love all kinds of animals. We even love some monsters, especially the cute cuddly googly eyed ones like these.
Image courtesy of PFFK#7
Not Hannibal Anne, however. In fact, she doesn’t like most animals, e.g., dogs, cats -- especially tygers, gophers, horses, cattle, deer, ferrets or beavers. She did almost buy a hat made from long-haired beaver at an auction one day. So she might like long-haired beavers. She might also like poison dart frogs, since she got my brother(?), Myron, some when we first moved to Amarillo . . . for some reason.
They come in all kinds of colors. Myron’s were red like this one.
Seriously, why? True to their name, said frogs secrete a poisonous substance which can stop your heart, if, for example, you are struck by an indigenously fired blowdart. Or if the frog skin is dried, powdered and laced in someone’s cigarettes. For example. But only if the frogs come from the wild. Apparently there is something in their natural diet that creates the poison.
However, aside from long-haired beavers and poison dart frogs, she doesn’t like any animals. And animals don’t seem to like her much either.
The Bird is the Word
She doesn’t like birds either.
Who does not like birds?
Image courtesy of PFFK#7
The Fighting Swallows of Amarillo
She knocks down swallow nests. Who does that?
It was spring at #6 Accosted. Hannibal Anne noted the swallows were back and had rebuilt a nest from the last year. The nest was in the north west corner of the front porch, and I could see 3 or 4 little heads peeking out.
They were Barn Swallows. The ones with the chestnut colored breasts, forked tail and bluish colored top feathers. When I was a kid, I used to love watching them fly in pairs, swerving, darting, gliding like airborne figure skaters.
Being Hannibal Anne, of course, she knocked down the nest some months later. I’m not sure if the little newborns were still in the nest yet. I was dumbfounded. Hannibal Anne “they make a mess on the porch.” I thought about how many messes Hannibal had caused and so far, no one has knocked her house down or over. If the swallow’s mess is really bothering Hannibal, all she had to do was turn on the nearby hose for all of 6 seconds and clean the 3’ x 3’ concrete door threshold.
Anyway, the swallows rebuilt the nest.
Swallows symbolize good fortune, hope and renewal. They mate for life and also represent loyalty, lasting love and safe return home. Hannibal Anne also knocked down the swallow’s nest in my Grandmother’s north east facing portion of her porch. Given Muff’s strong connection with nature, her swallows built another nest right above the garage door where she sat during warm days. That was too high and too visible for Hannibal to knock down.
Oh yeah, knocking down swallows nests is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Not sure what the “statute” of limitations is on that one, though I reckon she’s still doing it.
Builda-Bird
Why do birds suddenly appear,
Everytime your are near?
The following spring, they arrived at #6 Accosted. What we call “the black plague”. In the north west corner tree of #6 Accosted, a heavy, dense and loud swarm of black birds took up residence. They made a constant ghastly sound, like a cheese grater running across the bare skin of an agitated banshee or maybe a flock of highly strung Yokos. Especially at night. One night, after a game of dominoes, I went for a walk. A neighbor passed by on his iPhone and mid-conversation he noted “yeah, those birds. That’s the only tree in the subdivision those black birds stay in.” He had a bewildered look on his face and then went back to his phone call. I could tell it was a conversation that the neighborhood had all had amongst each other.
We tried filling nylons with moth-balls and tossing them in the tree to scare off the birds. They just laughed at us. Besides, moth-balls evaporate in a few days. This issue lasted a few years. I heard my dad, Fredo, cut some of the trees down. Or, I should say, he hired someone to cut the trees down. He’s not really capable of any real hard work requiring engineering. But he is great at trivia!
What are Little Black Birds Made Of?
Black birds symbolize transformation, mystery and spiritual awakening. So says the books. I think they symbolize something more evil and sinister.
Speaking of spiritual, we have yet to verify if Hannibal Anne has ever been baptized. I was baptized in April 1982, at church, on a Sunday, after the main services. I remember it fondly. My Grandparents were there.
Black birds also symbolize intuition, the unseen, voice and expression. So says said books. I think they symbolize something more evil and sinister. Yes, I repeated this on purpose.
Here is a biggie -- they represent trials sent to build faith and durability. As it turns out, at this exact time, I was about to stumble on the most massive amount of character building ever. As one ordained minister said to me “someone is after your soul.” My inside voice said “they aren’t getting it. My soul belongs to the folks upstairs.” They sure tried, led by Hannibal Anne, the ultimate yellow self. You know, yellow is supposed to represent the color of narcissists. Just sayin’.
What is it about Hannibal Anne not liking animals? Take for example birds, they are like flying gems. So beautiful and symbolic. We are humans and here to support nature. Take a look at this goldfinch, who visits our cherry blossom tree every year. What’s not to love?
Image courtesy of PFFK#7
Gopher Madness
One year Hannibal Anne’s backyard became the home to a family of plains pocket gophers. They are so cute! She was livid. She’s always livid. She immediately wanted them killed.
From U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Photo By/Credit Sam Kieschnick
Pocket gophers symbolize hidden truth, and digging out such hidden truth. Eek! Is it about to be curtains for Hannibal Anne?
The gophers had built their gopher town along a wooden fence line below what was now a bunch of dirt. In previous years, there used to be a huge plant trumpet shaped flowers. The bright white blooms sprawled across the top of the fence line. I think it was a Jimsonweed, otherwise known as Datura stramonium, Devils Trumpet, Thornapple, etc. Jimsonweed is a highly psychoactive plant, i.e., makes you hallucinate and sometimes go into another world that doesn’t exist. It’s properties have been known since ancient times.
Here is a story about that. Summer of 1993, when the tulip flowers were in full bloom, two of my friends were over at #6 Accosted. Hannibal Anne made us some iced tea. Given how hot it was, we drank it up. Later another friend picked us up in his uncovered dark blue jeep. We drove around town for awhile listening to country music, singing along. I know every lyric of all Johnny Cash’s songs. Ring of Fire was a song we all sang along to. My 10 pm curfew was approaching, so we headed back to #6 Accosted. As the jeep slowed one of my friends started speaking in tongues. Then she stood with both hands on the row bar and started banging her head against the bar. Her blonde hair was flying back and forth through the night’s air. I was trying to figure out what to do. Along with me, our friend started yelling her first name over and over. Suddenly she stopped and turned her face to us. She had a blank and at the same time, a wild look in her eye. She jumped out of the jeep and started running toward the nearby golf course.
The jeep driver ran after her. My mind was racing. I was not quite sure what was happening. So I ran into the house, up the stairs and into my bedroom. I grabbed my Bible, it’s the same Bible I carry in my bag today, and is a gift from my Aunts. Our friend driving the jeep had by then returned with her. For some reason we thought cold water would snap her out of it. We started my shower and placed her in the streaming cold water. It wasn’t working. A minute or so later, I hear Hannibal Anne yelling my name from the bottom of the stairs. All of the sudden, our friend snapped back to herself.
The following morning our friend’s mom called. Both my friend and her mom are lovely, smart and bubbly people. I really adore them. The mom was on the phone with Hannibal Anne and wanted to hear about the prior night and why her daughter came home in wet clothes. My friend had no recollection of what happened. I mean, zero. Not even a hint of a flashback. Her mom also explained that it was the anniversary of when my friend’s cousins had passed away in a car accident.
That was it, I don’t think any of us ever brought up that night again, until now. Did the tea have just enough “something” in it?
The trumpet plant is gone these days. Fredo was instructed to “tear it down.” I think there might be some “evidence” buried down there. So the gophers had to goph.
By the way, the most expensive painting by Georgia O’Keeffe is entitled Jimson Weed. Alice Walton bought it for $44.4 million in 2014. That is kind of appropriate. The number “4” in Chinese culture is considered a bad omen, because the word for “4” sounds like the word for “death”. If you are ever in an elevator in Hong Kong or China, check out the floor numbers. Chances are any floor with a “4” (e.g., 14, 24, 34) has probably been removed. The floor is still there, just with a different number. The number “8” is considered lucky since the word for “8” sounds like the word for “wealthy” or “fortune”.
Back to nature, when I was young I could never have a pet.
Don’t worry, I am currently over compensating. I am now delivering baskets full of kittens.
Everybody loves kittens!