Friday, November 23, 2007

Museum with a message

A tour of the Creation Museum, a place where dinosaurs and children play side by side, where poison is harmless, and where every animal from tiger to Tyrannosaurus eats only plants, is more than a lot to swallow. But ever since its opening outside Cincinnati in northern Kentucky in late May, the Creation Museum (open seven days a week) has been drawing thousands of visitors with its assertion that such a world existed—if only briefly—and in the recent past.

That proposition is yours to consider as you walk through an exhibition of the first chapters of Genesis, where detailed dioramas bring to life stories long confined to flannel graph: God creates a perfect world in six days—Adam and Eve disobey—creation is cursed—life has been hard ever since. Within an ornate setting of the Garden of Eden, where a life-size Adam is naming the animals and fingering Eve's hair not far from a 28,800-leaf tree of life, what may have been two-dimensional history for even Bible believers becomes 3-D.

The Dangerous Silky Bed!

Makdi spider is happily singing a song!
“See the soft, soft web I’ve made,
Away from the sun, in the shade!
My tiny claws snip-snap the thread
As I make this soft, soft silky bed!
See it sway to and fro.
Come one, Come all - have a go!
Are there any tiny sleepy heads?
Do come and sleep in my rocking bed!"
"May I sleep in it?" asks Katmu bedbug.“I’m SOOOO tired. Been busy sucking blood from folks all day long!”
“Step into my web,” says Makdi happily. “I’ll spin a warm quilt just for you!”
So Katmu crawls sleepily into Makdi spider’s web.
“Your bed is sticky!” grumbles Katmu, as Makdi spins a silken quilt tightly around him. “I can’t breathe. HELP! Your quilt is TOO tight!”
“I’ll give you a little prick,” says Makdi. “Just in case you feel
sick!”
Do you know what Makdi does?
She injects poison into poor Katmu!
That is the end of Katmu, the little bloodthirsty bedbug!
“Now I’ll poke him once again and put my special juice into him,” mutters Makdi very, very softly. “His soft insides will become soup!”
Makdi spider is VERY happy.
She will have bedbug soup for lunch!
“Who’s that sleeping in your web?” asks Maccha mosquito.
“Katmu, the little bedbug!” says Makdi gleefully.
“I too am tired. Been sucking blood from folks all night long!” says Maccha enviously.
“Step into my web!” says Makdi happily.
So Maccha steps into Makdi’s web.
“It’s so sticky and gooey!” grumbles fat Maccha, as Makdi spins a silken quilt around him.
“Ooooooh!” sighs Maccha mosquito happily. “It’s warm and soft. What ARE you doing? I………I…I can’t breathe! HELP!”
“A little prick,” says naughty Makdi, “Will do the trick!”
That is the end of Maccha, the bloodthirsty mosquito!
“My special juice will turn Maccha’s soft inside into soup!” says Makdi, the black spider. “All she needs is another teeny weeny prick!”
Makdi is very, VERY happy.
She can also have mosquito soup for lunch!
“Who’s that sleeping in your soft web?” asks Tiktik, the black tick.
“Katmu and Maccha!” says cunning Makdi.
“I too am tired. Been sucking blood all day long!” grumbles Tiktik sulkily.
“Just step into my web!” says Makdi happily.
So Tiktik steps into the web.
“HELP!” shouts Tiktik, “I’m stuck in glue!”
“I’ll wrap you up in a soft quilt!” says Makdi.
“HELP!” shouts Tiktik. “I can’t breathe!”
“Just a little, little prick,” grins Makdi, “Will see to it that you’re not sick!”
That is the end of Tiktik, the bloodthirsty tick!
“Dear me! I am going to have a wonderful lunch!” says Makdi greedily, as she gives Tiktik another prick. “Soon his soft insides will turn into delicious soup!”
“May I join those three?” asks Madhumakki, the bumblebee sleepily.
“You’re always welcome!” says Makdi happily.
“I hope the web won’t break!” says Madhumakki worriedly. “You know I am a little heavy!”
“My spider silk is very, VERY strong. It’s just as strong as a string of steel! My web will NOT let anything fall out of it. It’s unbreakable like a bullet proof vest!” says Makdi proudly. “It can stretch and hold ANYTHING! So do not worry, dear Madhumakki. Once I tuck you in, you won’t want to be free!”
“It’s going to rain!” mutters Madhumakki anxiously.
“My web is water proof!” says Makdi. “It’s a water repellent! People use my silk it to make raincoats, hats, fishing lines and nets!”
“I don’t want to catch a cold!” grumbles the bee.
“I’ll wrap you up nice and tight,” promises Makdi gleefully. “A teeny weeny prick will prevent you from getting rain sick! Just step into my web, dear Madhumakki!”
“Madhumakki! DON’T walk into that sticky web,” warns Chipku tree lizard scornfully. “You’ll get stuck. Makdi will then finish you off!”
“Makdi is NOT stuck!” says Madhumakki.
“She is standing on a dry thread!” says wise Chipku. “She just wants you for lunch! She already has made bedbug, mosquito and tick flavored soup!”
“Dear me!” exclaims a very scared Madhumakki. “I thought they were sleeping in THAT soft, silky bed!”
Madhumakki flies away. But he is foolish. He doesn’t LOOK where he is flying. He has come very, VERY near Chipku! Chipku lazily puts out his long sticky tongue. ZAP! Madhumakki is stuck on Chipku’s tongue! That is the end of the foolish bumblebee. Chipku lizard has gobbled him up!
“THANK YOU, Makdi!” shouts Chipku. “For that super duper lunch!”
Makdi is very, VERY angry. Chipku has stolen her lunch! She shakes her web violently. She has some small hard pellets made from the hard insect skins she cannot eat! The web sways dangerously. The pellets fly up and down. Some hit Chipku hard on the head!
“OUCH!” screams Chipku. “THAT HURTS!”
Makdi skips quickly towards Chipku.
“Want to be tucked in my soft silky spread?” asks Makdi softly.
But Chipku has fled! He doesn’t want to be in Makdi’s lunch!
“PLEASE step into my bed,
All you teeny weeny sleepy heads!”
Sings Makdi, once again, happily!


By Hema Rao, New Delhi 110018


The Mongoose and the Snake


In a small home lived a girl named Sana with her grandmother. She had a pet mongoose named Gem and a dog, named Poppy. And behind her home lived a snake.Everyday Sana and her grandmother would go out. The dog, Poppy was jealous of Gem because he felt that Gem was treated better than him. One fine day Poppy decided to kill Gem. He saw Gem roaming around the home and went behind him.But just then, Gem saw a snake behind Poppy, and immediately rushed to kill snake to save Poppy.There was a big fight between Gem and the snake. Poppy was stunned to see Gem fighting with the snake to save his life. He realized his mistake. Gem killed the snake. Poppy ran to Gem and asked him to pardon him for planning to kill him. Sana returned home from her school and saw both Gem and Poppy laughing and playing together. She was happy to see this and picked both in her arms and took them inside the home. After that they all lived happily.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

In Praise of Older Dogs

I saw his picture on my computer way before I had thoughts of adopting him. He was cute. An ordinary black lab mix, , but cute. You see, I receive the ICARE emails and every time I get an email, I tell myself that I will not look at it as my home was filled already with two dogs (Eddie and Roxie - Eddie was a rescue just skin and bones and Roxie an ICARE adoptee.) And three cats not to mention six horses and two goldfish. But every time I get those emails they are the first that I open, hoping that I might know someone that might want to adopt one of the companion animals in the photos on the email.

The first few emails that I received with his picture, they indicated that he had been at the shelter since February and this was May. My heart went out to him.

Shelter life is not the same as a home with a family, not to mention the trauma involved with being discarded AND SINCE FEBRUARY! And then, I received the ‘911” email that said that the shelter was overcrowded and there were only two ways that this could be alleviated - one to have the dogs adopted and two to put them down.

Well that did it for me. I called Julie at the shelter to inquire and found that he was to be put down the following day. I asked that they hold him, as I wanted to meet him. Julie was thrilled that someone was interested in seeing him and agreed to hold him.

The next day, I met him. He really didn’t look like the picture I had seen and he was so excited to just to be outdoors that I didn’t really have a chance to get to know him as I had hoped. But I felt that I was already committed to this big black dog and with Julie’s reassurance that if it didn’t work out, I could return him, so, I brought him home.


Sonny (aka Jackson) was so thrilled to be outside in a yard and he got along with my Eddie and Roxie right from the beginning. And within the first two days he bonded to me and I to him. I find him to be smart and very responsive. He is housebroken and seems to appreciate every pat on the head, every kind word and of course every cookie he is offered. (To enlarge the photo of Sonny, click on the photo or link)

I am told that when an older dog is adopted they are very grateful. It is like they know just how lucky they really are. He is a gentleman in every way. When I stand, he stands. When I sit down, he sits down. Of course, we have things to sort out like walking on a leash etc. But already, I have had people come up to me when I am with him and complement him. I smile, thank them and thank my lucky stars for my Jackson (5 1/2 years old and nearly 80 pounds of love!), Lisa Schade at ICARE for her emails and dedication to homeless dogs/cats and Julie at the Big Pine Animal Shelter for her excellent care and the concern she has for our unwanted companion animals that are just looking for a home and someone to love.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Wolverine


The young wolverine opened it’s eyes after sleeping well for six hours to discover that the air was ten degrees below zero. After stretching and arching his back, he scampered out of his den into the crisp morning air to search for food. He was always hungry.

He went to his usual food stash, a tree stump about 5 feet away from the opening of his den. In his hunger the wolverine failed to notice the difference in his food stash. The two rabbits he had killed the day before were moved from inside the tree stump to the edge of the tree stump.

As the wolverine ran up to his rabbits, a loud snap filled the air. The wolverine’s foot was caught in a trap. He felt excruciating pain and began to thrashing around, tugging to free his foot. Finally, he pulled himself free from the trap leaving part of his foot behind. At first he wondered what had happened. His foot was bleeding and hurting more than it had ever hurt before.
He howled and whimpered as he went back into his den to nurse his wound. It took three days before the wolverine could walk out of his den and find some vegetation to eat. After a couple of months, the wolverines partially amputated foot healed and he was able to hunt again. But, for the rest of his life the wolverine carried around the remembrance of that day that he was not alert.
Stories written by AaronDrawings by Samuel