Gorillas All Around Me

Last Sunday, I watched a program on gorillas on PBS. They were telling how gorillas learn and pass on their teachings to the next generation. Zoos today try to have rainforests for their gorillas live in. The gorillas forage for their food, while their little ones play.

Since Sunday, I have encountered gorillas in many forms. First on a Simpsons TV show using King Kong as a character. Then, I was reading about Michael Jackson wanting to film a new version. Today, I received a calendar with Koko, the gorilla.

Koko learned sign language and can communicate with people. He understands who he is and who everyone else is.

So, since I encountered gorillas in four different ways, they have a message for me.

From Animal Teachers:

Gorilla teaches peaceful living. Remaining calm, He goes about his affairs. Even when a strange Gorilla shows up, He will not attack. However, Gorilla will state his position forcefully. Learn strength and gentleness from Him.

Gorilla’s Advice Also Includes:

“When Gorilla appears, it is a reminder that our own strengthens – our inner strength and nobility – are about to be recognized. Gorilla reminds us of the mobility of proper living for one’s family and community.” – Copyright: “The Animal-Wise Tarot”, Ted Andrews.

Blue Jays are Back and Noisy as ever

Recently, I have been unable to sit up for long periods. So I have placed bread out on my balcony for the birds. For amusement, I watch them as they steal the bread or fight among themselves. A wren will come and fly off. Sparrows will mob the table for bread.

Recently, the blue jays have returned. They come, one at a time, grab a piece of bread and fly off. Then another one comes. They keep watching each other and squawk, when one of them is taking too long to eat. Once I saw two of them circling the table where the bread was. It reminded me of one of those duels that you read about.

I have enjoyed these noisy crafty birds. What I have discovered is how they are both thoughtful and obnoxious at the same time. For me, they seem to live double lives - the noisy squawker and the quiet parent. I have had a close relationship with them every since one dive bombed me since she thought I was too close to her baby jay.

Lost mole in the afternoon

I was next to the dumpster talking to my neighbor, when this little furry animal waddled by. It was a confused mole looking for dirt to tunnel in. He was on a road searching with his nose where his tunnels were. The local lawn service had dug holes in the ground, disrupting him.

The mole was a common mole, soft fur and a needle nose. His feed were big flat digging machines. He sort of waddled and twisted away. I picked him up and moved him to the grass.

Then I spent the afternoon making sure he found his way home. He did and I went home.

I marveled at the wonder of this little animal, soft to the touch, sniffing his way in the grass. Occasionally eating a tiny insect to keep his strength up. He seemed like a fairy from some other place who came for a visit.

Forest Preserve District of Cook County (Illinois)

Few people have ever seen a mole. That's because this strange animal
lives its entire life underground and is rarely dragged out into the light
of day. Sometimes we see those long, meandering ridges that it pushes
up in lawns and gardens but most of us have no idea what the creature
looks like.

The animal literally "swims" through the soil in its search for food. The
hands are brought forward alongside the snout, then thrust outward and
backward in a breast stroke, pushing the soil aside and pulling the
animal forward.

This industrious, hard-working animal has an enormous appetite. It has been reported to eat the equivalent of its own weight in food in a day,
but one-third of its weight is more probably an average amount. The
bulk of the diet consists of earthworms, white grubs, cutworms,
wireworms, and other insects.

Some of the folk lore meanings of moles are, "Depth, sensory perception, touch, earth wisdom, cheer, healing with roots, spiritual healing, self reliance, luck, Retrieval."
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Monster Spiders in the Daytime

I wrote on the spider web at my building. While taking my laundry from my condo to the nearby laundry mat, I encountered a monster spider web. This web extended from one tree to the building eave and wall. Smack in the middle of this web, was the largest, baddest cobweb spider that most people would see in their nightmares. This spider was busy spinning more webs to catch all of the flies in the area.

I can only admire the industry of this spider. She was going from tree branch to building side, spinning her cobweb. Bigger and bigger it became. I could only see the web of life in her activity. Now I understand why people consider Spider the weaver of life.