Fly Away.....

My mom has been so busy, that she wishes she could just fly away like a Monarch Butterfly, with no cares or responsibilities in the world. Monarch Butterflies fly to and from Mexico each year and they must go right through our back yard!

We saw lots of Monarch Butterflies, and they are so beautiful. They fly down from the north in October, and can fly up to 550 miles within 3 days!

Here is a map which shows this year's migration.

(Courtesy of Texas Monarch Watch)

It was a beautiful sight to see so many Monarch Butterflies in our yard. I hope my mom does not get any ideas and fly away with them!

(Come see my new brother in my Small World Blog!)

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by my SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Lost & Found in the Desert

Here is the rest of my mom's Big World Assignment from Arizona. Mom and daddy went to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix the last day of their trip.

It was super hot there and mom almost passed out......on Big World Assignment!

At the entrance of the park, was a sign for some missing animals! I think I had seen something similar to this on the back of a milk carton in our fridge!
My mom went in to the park to try to find them for me to see if they would be my friends.

The first animal she found was this Western Whiptail Lizard!

The Western Whiptail Lizard is a very shy Lizard. If a predator tries to attack him, he drops his tail! The tail will flop around and distract the predator so the Lizard can get away. Wow! This lizard must dropped part of his tail sometime, because I see he has a bit of a stub now!

Mom also saw Desert Quails. Now, according to the entrance sign, these Quails were not missing, but mom found them anyway! Mom and daddy had to sit on a bench for a long time to catch a shot of this Quail, because they also were very shy. A sad fact, is that Arizonians are allowed to hunt these Quails in the open desert.......but thankfully, not at this park.

Last, but not least, mom got a shot of this Gila Woodpecker who had built a nest inside this Saguaro Cactus! Now I have heard of humans using barb wire for security, but this is ridiculous! This is definitely No Place Like Home for me!

Mom had to report back to me that some of the animals were still lost, but the ones that she found, were happy to be my friends!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by my SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Lining Up to Be JB's Friends

I had to interrupt my postings on my mom's trip to Arizona to report about the Chile Dogs on my last post because it upset me so much, but now I take you back to Scottsdale, Arizona, and Chaparral Lake.

A thought I must ponder.......why do my friends, the Canada Geese always swim and fly in a row?

One of my new friends said: "JB, it is because we are "lining up" to be your friend!"

"We heard about your Big World, from our relatives that your mom met in Irving, Texas!"

"We want to be your friends!"

Mom also met one lone white Goose here. He also wanted to be my friend! Could he perhaps be a Snow Goose? If so, he sure is a long way away from any snow!

As dusk fell on the lake, the last of the Goose line-up came to meet my mom. They were so polite, lining up and waiting patiently, to be my friends!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by my SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Sad Story About Chile Dogs

Today I have a sad story to report out of Santiago, Chile. My daddy flew there recently on Big World Assignment and brought me this report about Chile Dogs.

Santiago is not a real clean city. The Mapocho River runs through the city and carries unfiltered household, industrial and agricultural waste. You can see the Andes Mountains in the background through the haze of the city.

Another thing you will see in Santiago is all the stray Dogs. There are hundreds of them. My daddy noticed that they appeared to be very street smart. They would wait with people at busy intersections, and when it was safe and people started walking, they walked too!

They are very well mannered Dogs, and are not to be feared. They wait patiently for scraps of food at restaurants, but will rarely bother you when you are eating.

Sometimes some of the Dogs will not make it, however. The following photo is a very sad image and I debated whether to post it.

This black and white Dog appeared to be dying on the sidewalk right near a busy street. He had a wound in his neck that looked like he had been in a fight. He had nobody to help him, and no real chance to survive.

The sight of the last Dog made my daddy very sad. So the next day he took a drive to try to forget what he saw, and he made his way up to the Andes Mountains......

I am sad to report this story, but felt the Chile Dogs should get some publicity. I wish I could help all the homeless animals in the world find forever homes, but I am just one small Jelly Bean. I am praying for the safety of the Chile Dogs.

We can all help homeless animals by donating to our local animal shelters. Every little bit counts.

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by my SMALL WORLD too, thanks!