Search Results for “"Cary Neeper"”

Local Author Cary Neeper Recounts American Library Association Conference

on July 14, 2013 No Comments

Cary Neeper signs copies of ‘The Webs of Varok’ at the ALA Conference. Courtesy photo

By CARY NEEPER

About 26,000 people attended the June 28-July 1 American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

At this huge gathering of librarians and teachers, book publishers and authors saw many roller carts filled with books pack the checkout stand near the front entrance of McCormick Place before the weekend came to a close. Some were giveaways, some half price and most probably destined for community and school libraries.

Out of hundreds of Read More

How The Hen House Turns: Forty-Six Years With Birds

on March 14, 2020 No Comments

Painting by Cary Neeper. Courtesy photo

By CARY NEEPER
Formerly of Los Alamos

Recently I indulged in some fond memories of our 40-some years with the Hen House birds.

I found photos taken years ago and started painting – first Lucy and Bobbie geese, then the miniature ducks (Mrs. Ritz and Kiebler), the two turkeys that spanned the years, and all the various chickens, starting with the only child Peeper, who became a wonderful protective rooster.

There was lots of room on the large painting canvas, so I painted the front of the house on Walnut Street and the large golden tree behind it. I “suggested” Read More

How The Hen House Turns: Poncho’s Guilt

on January 18, 2020 No Comments

Poncho, a dog with too much conscience. Courtesy photo

By CARY NEEPER
Formerly of Los Alamos

Our dog Poncho came to us as a six month old puppy from the shelter in Santa Fe.

His eyes locked onto mine as he sat wagging his tail, and the deal was made. He kept his side of the bargain: watching over the chickens, chasing crows out of the yard, and eating no more than he needed — until one day when we came home to find him acting very guilty.

How can I describe that? He didn’t jump all over us as usual, as we came in the door. He slunk away and kept looking up at us — no tail-wagging, no eager jumping around Read More

How The Hen House Turns: Birds In A Mixed Flock

on December 24, 2019 No Comments

Bobbi the Chinese goose, left, being mothered by Lucy the Embden goose. Photo by Cary Neeper

By CARY NEEPER

Formerly of Los Alamos

One of our most poignant memories of Los Alamos is the vision of Lucy Goose sitting outside the Hen House yard, watching two chicken chicks play over and around their adoptive mother, Turkey 2.

We called her “Little Bear” because she survived a bear attack on the bomb proof nest boxes Don built.

It was the spring of 2014 when Turkey’s vigil ended. In just a few weeks the chicks had grown up enough to run around exploring the Hen House yard by themselves.

How The Hen House Turns: More Horse Sense

on November 18, 2019 No Comments

By CARY NEEPER

Formerly of Los Alamos

We are learning more and more about how closely we are knit into the living web of life on earth. The latest wake-up call comes from the “Notes From Earth” in Discover Magazine’s article “Wildlife” by Nancy Averett.

New information is pouring into social media from amateur photographers with motion-activated cameras.

In Colorado Springs Sue Dickerson captured views of a skunk at 4 a.m. using a rock as a tool to break the ice in the frozen water dish she had set out. Also reported in the article are the photos of an Eurasian Nuthatch using a piece

How The Hen House Turns: Horse Sense

on October 17, 2019 No Comments

By CARY NEEPER

Formerly of Los Alamos

As a child I was afraid of horses. Now they intrigue me.

I’m fascinated by their eagerness for company, and I’m amazed at how they have put up with us humans for so long–pulling our chariots, then our milk wagons and plows, trusting us to sit on their backs, carrying us long distances, patnering with us in waging war, running races at their best speed…

Ancient remains suggest that they disappeared from the North American continent for thousands of years. Why? In my reading about their history, I haven’t yet found an explanation.

How The Hen House Turns: Communication Between Animals

on September 15, 2019 No Comments

Wild California turkeys ‘communicating’. Courtesy photo

By CARY NEEPER

Los Alamos Daily Post

We humans are so focused on our verbal ways of communicating, it is easy to overlook the more subtle methods used by plants and animals.

However, that topic has appeared in some excellent books (The Hidden Life Of Trees and The Inner Life of Animals: What They Feel by Peter Wohlben )

Communication between living beings, and between themselves and their environments, is not limited to sound. Smell and taste play large roles in animal and plant communication. A giraffe can smell danger when eating. Read More

How The Hen House Turns: Willy The Amazing Dog

on August 14, 2019 No Comments

Willy the amazing dog. Courtesy photo

By CARY NEEPER

Formerly of Los Alamos

Willy is a poodle mix, a dog rescued and now owned by a friend here at the Sequoias Portola Valley (in Cailfornia), a full nursing retirement community just west of Stanford.

We know nothing about his former life as a stray in the Bay Area, but somehow he came to love both human beings and other dogs. He has no obvious mental wounds to scratch, but during his walks he can be very stubborn about preferring pavement to rough ground. His owner usually walks the campus, so Willy is not used to gravel in his paws.

How The Hen House Turns: Dogs Blur The Line

on July 13, 2019 No Comments

Willy the dog. Courtesy/Cary Neeper

By CARY NEEPER

Formerly of Los Alamos

“The Dog’s Mind: Understanding Your Dog’s Behavior” by veterinarian Bruce Fogle (New York, Howell Book House, 1990), given all the recent studies on animal behavior, I’m amazed at the insights this author made THIRTY years ago.

In his Introduction, he claims that we “draw a clear line” between ourselves and other animals, including cats, but “…we blur the line with dogs.”

Recent studies now challenge that clear line between humans and all other animals, but that will have to wait for another

How The Hen House Turns: Shared Emotion

on June 24, 2019 No Comments

Courtesy photo

By CARY NEEPER

Formerly of Los Alamos

In his Great Course on animals, Donald Moore gives us this definition of animal: “a multicellular organism that eats other animals.”

Of course that includes us humans. His first session begins by noting shared characteristics in animals, then different methods of reproduction, then various ways animals have devised in order to raise their offspring safely.

Most go to great lengths–like fish who use their own mouths to protect their young. Others retain the fetus until it is quite alert. I’ll never forget

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