So true

Nuff said.

Companionship

I'm dogsitting right now for a friend who went down to Boston to visit her daughter. Marg (the friend) asked if I'd watch Ruth (the dog) until she got back on Saturday, and since I like doggies I'm happy to do it.

I'm sitting in an armchair in the living room at the moment, and I found myself wondering why it is that I keep talking to the dog. I mean it's obvious why most people talk to dogs, but Ruthie is entirely deaf. She didn't hear me come in this afternoon and jumped when I walked past her sleeping on the floor. No matter much I say "Hi Ruthie" or "Good girl" or anything like that I know she won't hear me, but I keep talking anyway. Might as well be talking to the wall.

Or not, since the dog has a great deal more personality than the wall, and even though she can't hear me I still get more response than I would from the wall. Not that walls aren't nice, but they're usually rather wallish and not terribly friendly.

Groups of critters

Last year I found a website that listed the proper names for groups of certain animals, and some of them are really amusing. You have the standards, of course, like a flock of sheep (or birds), a herd of cattle (also llamas or deer), a pod of whales, a pack of dogs, but there are some that are really odd. Examples listed below... feel free to add some more.

Clowder of cats
Cuddle of kittens
Parliament of owls
Murder of crows (my favorite)
Intrusion of cockroaches
Colony of beaver
Obstinacy of bison (also my favorite)
Troop of kangaroo

And one more: creatively enough, you can have a group of guinea pigs. No kidding.