Either way, let’s call this dragonfly A-Hawk.

A-Hawk circled the same small area in the yard for quite a while, and got rather close to me. Flying directly overhead, silhouetted against a bright blue sky, his wings appeared to be made of the finest copper filament as the sun filtered through them.

A-Hawk perched on a branch, basked in the sun, and allowed me to take a bunch of pictures.

I’ve never gotten so close to a dragonfly before. It was so cool!

From KOMO News: Technology is being worked on to do away with “controversial” — not to mention horrific and fatal — testing of cosmetic-related chemicals on animals. A “working prototype” is expected to be available in 2011, and European laws require this type of testing to be eliminated by 2013.

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I think they’re Western scrub jays. Or Aphelocoma californica as they’re known in Wikipedia. In describing the appearance of these birds, the Wikipedia article (as retrieved on 12/23/08) refers to the birds’ “grayish underparts.” (Bird bloomers?) I’ve never heard/seen “underpants” used before to describe a bird. Too funny!

*The frequency of the visits increases in direct proportion to the amount of nuts left on the garden table or balcony railing.

I took probably a dozen pictures the other day. Most didn’t turn out (the bird’s head was turned away from the camera, the light wasn’t quite right, etc.), but a few looked pretty good. The one where the bird’s head is an incredibly bright ruby-pink? It’s not color-retouched. The position of the bird’s head, the late-afternoon light, and my “trigger” finger all came together in the perfect combination.

The town of Steilacoom, where The Boyfriend (TB) lives, is far enough from big cities and the freeway that it still has some wildlife. Aside from squirrels, which can be found throughout Seattle and other cities and towns in the area, Steilacoom has resident raccoons, possums, and deer. TB even saw a fox recently.

As Steilacoom continues to grow, we’re seeing less urban wildlife. Sad, in some ways, but I think it sucks that these animals have to dodge traffic and humans and deal with diminishing food sources.

The “petz” part of the business name is not only misspelled, it’s misleading, since the service rents … er, shares … only dogs. Why didn’t they call it FlexPooch?

When asked if they’d like to be part of FlexPetz, most cats responded, “We can’t afford it, we don’t earn income. Besides, we don’t like dogs.” Upon clarification (“No, would you like it if various people could rent you? I mean, share in your ownership?”), the cats universally replied, “Nobody owns a cat. We simply allow humans to live with us and serve us. Now feed me, pet me, stop it, give me catnip, go away.”

Alpha is in back in each of these pictures; Beta is in front. Alpha was so christened because he seemed to be the alpha kitty, hissing whenever TB or another human approached him. When TB told me he had named one kitten Alpha, I suggested he call the other one Romeo; alas, Beta had already received his appellation.

Alpha likes to hiss. At everyone. And everything. Apparently, he hisses simply on principle. As a result, I have begun referring to him as Alger Hiss. All that hissing is a bluff; Alpha doesn’t scratch or bite. He likes to be scratched under the chin and will occasionally give in to some very loud purring. Alpha also likes to lick and nibble the fingers of the human that’s petting him. And chew on fingernails. I’m thinking Alpha will eventually pursue a career as a manicurist.

Beta loves to be scratched and petted and, most of all, enjoys sitting on his brother and bogarting all the attention. Beta begins purring almost immediately when someone starts petting him. Beta is a pretty mellow kitty; nothing seems to bother him. I predict he will grow up to be a lounge lizard or a mouse potato.

When not lounging on the windowsill in TB’s bathroom, the boys hang out behind the toilet. ( I know … eww!)

So, I guess Alpha and Beta are my … step-kitties? God-kitties? Kitties once removed? Whatever else they may be, they’re completely adorable.