All Creatures July/August 2020

HI. GRACIE HERE. Remember me? Golden retriever. Five years old. Smarter than your average dog. I need to discuss an important topic. Social distancing. It is really, really hard for me to social distance. I am what you would call an extrovert. How do we know this? I wag my tail a lot. That is a strong indicator. I also wiggle my butt. And smile. I smile all the time. Just ask my humans, Edward and Julee. They frequently ask me, “What are you so happy about?” Breakfast! Lunch! Dinner! Treats! The sun! The grass! The trees! Pets! Hugs! Love! So for me to stay away from people other than my immediate humans is very challenging. I can’t go shopping for treats at the puppy store right now, for instance,…

Whoever said “three’s a crowd” never visited Plumlee Farms in Green Forest, Arkansas. It’s home to a remarkably resilient trio of animals. Molly the black Angus was born blind, and owners Robbin and Cory Plumlee could tell she was lonely. A friend offered them Violet, a miniature donkey, as a companion for the cow. Then Cory attached a bell to her collar and “Violet became Molly’s guide, leading her to food and water,” Robbin says. When Cory’s 18-year-old horse, Raz, went blind from equine glaucoma, he learned to follow Violet too. Now the donkey leads both friends around a 20-acre pasture, and all three are happy and healthy. “It shows that everybody has a place in life,” Robbin says. “All it took was them finding each other.”…

Little Butterfly Little butterfly,Yellow and blackWith half of one wing missing,I sigh for you,And yet you fly,Struggling on,From one gold sun drop to another,Visiting flowers toFulfill your destiny. You do not whine or quit,Bemoan your fate,Ask, “Why me?”Or pray for healing miracles.I do not know your historyThough I can guess your end,But I will see you yetSome day in heaven’s golden fields.You will flutter down to meAnd say,“Hello! We’ve met.” Share a moment of connection you’ve had with one of God’s creatures (poems and prayers welcome). Send it to allcreatures @guideposts.org or All Creatures, 110 William Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038.…

Lola In 2002 Lola’s right front flipper became entangled in fishing line in the Gulf of Mexico. Circulation was cut off, which led to amputation. Since she couldn’t be returned to the wild, Key West Aquar ium took her in. Years later, Worcester Polytechnic Institute engineering students teamed up with the aquarium to design and fabricate the first-ever hydrodynamic biomimetic flipper. The prosthetic, which mimics how a healthy flipper moves, was fitted on the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in 2016. Dymka A passing driver spotted Dymka on a cold Siberian day in December 2018 and brought her to a local veterinary clinic. The four-year-old suffered such severe frostbite that her ears, tail and all four paws had to be amputated. With the help of researchers at Tomsk Polytechnic University, veterinarian…

I’VE ALWAYS been fascinated by fire—not its ability to destroy, but to create. I think that’s what drew me to the art of glassblowing, where a torch is used to shape molten glass. I started in 2003 and was mostly self-taught. When my close friend Johnny passed away, I was given a small portion of his ashes. Wanting to create something special, I swirled them into molten glass and crafted several beautiful marbles. I gave one to Johnny’s mother and kept one for myself. To this day, it’s one of my favorite pieces. Word spread and I started getting requests from people for similar pieces using their loved ones’ ashes. Things snowballed from there. I left my day job as a hospice nursing aide and opened Davenport Memorial Glass Co.…

HIGH ABOVE the bustling streets and sidewalks of New York City, a natural wonderland sprawls across almost seven acres. Where is this urban oasis? On the roof of the Jacob K. Javits Center, a convention center that spans six city blocks. The eco-conscious meadow is an unexpected haven for the 29 species of birds that regularly flock there, and also for bats, bees and other insects. Thousands of honeybees shelter in the five hives maintained by volunteers. Visitors take home beeswax-based lip balms, and the on-site catering crew uses the honey in various menu items. The Javits Center wasn’t always so bird-friendly. Seagulls, falcons and other species flew into the windows. And because the facility is right along the Hudson River, a major migratory route, many birds were dying. A…