You, madam, are no Sei Shonagon

So priketh hem Nature in hir corages –
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seeken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes, couthe in soundry londes

(So Nature pricks them in each little heart),
On pilgrimage then folks desire to start.
The palmers long to travel foreign strands
To distant shrines renowned in sundry lands

–Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, (Modern English trans. Ronald L. Ecker and Eugene J. Crook)

Our Springtime baby, we had no idea how much we’d love him.

That a stray dog’s progress to his forever home can be documented is due to the dedication of his rescuers: Nash County Animal Shelter and Nash County Animal Friends in North Carolina, and Mutt Love Rescue in Fairfax, Virginia (who paid for his eye operation, boarded him, put his photo on Petfinder.com, and brought him to the adoption day to meet us).

The Stray Dog’s Tale [Facebook page link with more of the story]

December 30, 2011, Nashville, North Carolina: Zach Wilford wrote about Nash County Animal Control picking up a stray dog from his neighborhood “with double cherry eye. Brindle in color. … He was very sweet and very scared.”

He would not go near the animal control officer. I sat on the ground and talked very sweetly to him and he came up to me and laid on my lap. The female officer was there. He is extremely sweet I just think he has had bad experiences. He was licking my hand and face lol. If he doesn’t come around soon I will try to make a trip over there soon to help I believe he will remember me. I gave him food and water while he was in the trap and I gave him a blanket to keep him warm and covered the cage with a sheet to guard from the wind. I couldn’t let him sit out there like that, cold. I’m seriously praying like crazy for this one.

The House Dog’s Tale [Facebook page link with more of the story]

We don’t know who gave him such a fabulous name, but like his namesakes, the Transcendentalist philosopher and the 1970s Progressive Rock keyboardist, Emerson had a following (check out the comments at the link above). And many of those followers pledged money to go to the rescue league to help pay for his eye operation.

January 6, 2012, Emerson doesn’t know it, but he’s about to travel from North Carolina to Virginia with Mutt Love Rescue: “He will spend a couple of nights with me and on Sunday, we will meet his Rescue in Richmond. This is the most loving dog and I think he was a house dog in his past.” –Carol Vierela, founder of Nash County Animal Friends

Emerson is neutered, has his cherry eye surgically repaired, and is boarded in Virginia. About four months later, we see his photo on Petfinder.com. Something in his floppy ears and knowing eyes gets to us.

The Happy Tail

We meet him on May 12 and Cathy at Mutt Love Rescue delivers him to us that evening.

Forth, pilgrim, forth! Forth, beest, out of thy stal!
Know thy countree, looke up, thank God of al.
Hold the heigh way and lay thy gost thee lede:
Truth shal delivere, it is no drede.

–Chaucer, “Truth”

Epilogue, June 2, 2012

Gray Catbird nest with assorted Del Ray detritus

Backyard bird feeder visitors this spring have included House Finches, House Sparrows, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, Common Grackles, Mourning Doves (on the ground below the feeder), a single Red-winged Blackbird, and Gray Catbirds. I’ve tried to keep the bird bath filled with clean water on these hot days (today the high is expected to be 102°F). I’m particularly motivated to monitor the water supply because I noticed a few weeks ago that two catbirds were delivering twigs and fluffy bits to one of our large Osmanthus bushes. I wanted to thank them for choosing our yard, a great compliment which meant they had identified it as rich enough in food, water, and shelter to support the family.

Lately the pair has been taking turns swooping about, grabbing insects and caterpillars in their bills. This morning I pushed gently into the bush to see what was happening. I think I was expecting a Del Ray–style nest evoking the vibe of our weekly farmers’ market crowd: couples weighed down by Swedish baby carriers (or Andean baby slings) and cotton tote bags with blue/green Earth logos. Instead, the nest looked like an episode of Hoarders with the bits of plastic and paper woven among the twig structure. If it were 1987, I might think these spoiled suburban birds with their black mohawks were building a shantytown to urge the university to divest from South Africa. No, perhaps this is indeed an emblematic Del Ray nest. My little urban homesteaders are recycling and repurposing while exploring E. F. Schumacher’s “appropriate technology” concept.

The eggs are supposed to be turquoise blue, but when I leaned in to gawp, one of the pair jumped on a branch very close to my face and gave me such a nasty look. I retreated and refilled the bird bath.