Just busy and not feeling “bloggy”, perhaps because I have written a long book review, a feature, tweaked and sent around two proposals, and am into another feature. I am now a contributing editor and regular reviewer at Living Bird magazine, where you can also see my article on Darwin’s pigeons (and even one of …
Author: Steve Bodio
More Idiots– and a Brave Dog
They always exceed your direst fears. The Lady with the Black Dogs sent me this link to a story about how Tesco, the huge British supermarket chain that buys most of New Zealand’s lamb, will no longer allow shepherds to use herding dogs. You couldn’t make it up: “The supermarket chain has told its major …
Another Mauser
I had long given up on my quest for the perfect Mauser,as detailed in several posts here– my 7 X 57 was sufficient, despite its “59 Cadillac” styling and lack of iron sights– I am old fashioned about them. So when an old friend, dryland farmer and craftsman Daniel Howell came to see me recently …
Only One
There was not enough rain in our usual monsoon season (Late July and August) so we found no mushrooms. But for the last two weeks we have had monsoon- style storms, and Libby thought we should go to the mountains and look. I was skeptical, thinking there was an element of seasonality as well as …
Mini – Reviews
I have had a huge stack of books to review and it will take some time to get through them. The enormity of the task has rather unnerved me, and kept me procrastinating. Finally I thought I would mention each right here, with recommendations, a word or two on content, and a link if possible. …
Common Sense
England’s Alan Gates, master eagler and creator of this wonderful site of Asian falconry and more, sent me a little “obituary” he thought our readers would enjoy: Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he …
Worst Idea EVER?
Darren at Terapod Zoology has uncovered what I think, seriously,may be the worst idea for the future I have ever seen, combining sentimentality, utter ignorance about how the world, society, animals, biology or any science works, along with a readiness (unspoken), to use the most totalitarian means to achieve its impossible goals. His title says …
Links
Hecate at Hecate’s Crossroad (Wiccan, guns, and animal training) speaks of the relevance of “clicker training” to gun laws: “So if you’re seeing a whole lot of behaviors you don’t want, you can bet those behaviors are being rewarded, somewhere, somehow.” (Snip) “For punishment to work as a behavior-modification method, it must be a significant …
The Politically Correct Pet
When Mr P came down for the sheep, he brought a piece of humor he and I had collaborated on when he was in High School. I don’t know what it says about our minds, or that this is the first venue we found for it… Introducing TAPEWORMS— the politically correct,animal- rights- safe pet of …
Of Mutton and Saws- Alls
Our friend Pieter Ditmars raises grass- fed meat sheep on Dunhill Ranch in the western foothills of the Magdalenas, using livestock guard dogs (Pyrenees) and border collies as assistants. We always buy a lamb from him. But we had found him a lot of new customers, and this year he offered us a 5 year- …