The Collection
My high speed turn around the back side of the tree had transformed into a tumble where feet, feathers, and seedpods were indistinguishable in the chaos.
The Inquisitive Ostrich
The next several minutes are filled with my favorite things: deep nose-inhales, eager munching, clamoring for second helpings, audible “mmm”’s, and tranquil grins that punctuate only the best of meals.
The Imaginative Rabbit
I never learned to sing like the birds or chirp like the frogs. I don’t dance through the sky like the bats at night or zip around in showy loops like the dragonflies. I have other talents, of course, but the talents I have not developed are all the more curious to me.
The Ambitious Beaver
I imagined I was caught in the rolling sound of laughter. . . spinning joyfully, head over heals for humor, and bouncing along effortlessly to someone else’s well-told story.
The Comedic Gnat
The physical exertion leaves my body as exhausted as my mind. Now perhaps both can rest.
The Empathetic Penguin
I might have to take the remedial “Cooking for Others: Cleanliness and Safety” course if I don’t pass the inspection. Nevertheless, today is the day.
The Imaginative Rabbit
My whiskers brush the bark and my nose leaves a tiny moist print of condensation on the exposed wood. I can see the maze trails so clearly, but something is missing.
The Imaginative Rabbit
I care for and watch over these tiny creatures with an attentiveness previously unfamiliar to me. I admire the spots on the fronts of their necks, their big inquisitive eyes, their beaks eager to taste our landscape, and the tufts of rusty-colored down on the tops of their heads.
The Inquisitive Ostrich
My awkward hind foot lands on a leaf, but I don’t feel earth beneath my paw. Instead, I find myself resting on smooth stone heated quite warm under a summer sun.
The Imaginative Rabbit
I sense your loneliness: you glance back at the unforgiving waves and relentless wind with a knowing heaviness that this storm is not short-lived. My neighbor, I see the sea has not been kind to you.
The Empathetic Penguin
The wind flew through my feathers. My eyes focused ahead with determination. My wing positioning was perfect for the two tight turns-- all that practice with body position paid off!
The Inquisitive Ostrich
A few juggling flips; Breakfast slides down headfirst
The Ambitious Beaver
And then I got a whiff of it . . . wonderful, healthy, prosperous fungus. I salivated with delight and let my olfactory sense be my compass.
The Comedic Gnat
It's fun to hear people calling to the fish through their ice holes, enjoying lunch together in the sunshine, and taking selfies with their catches.
The Ambitious Beaver
