butterfly garden of love

I wonder where the butterflies and chipmunks have gone. There used to be such a wealth of creature-life in and around the stone wall behind the house, even when the stalking, mousing Romeo was alive. It must be the dog. I think the creatures have fled from the fiercely in-your-face presence of the lovely Heidi: pure-bred German shepherd, all teeth, snarl, bark and growl...

What fascinates me is how much animals and people are alike; both seem to shy away from what's obvious and totally ignore what's hidden. Take the present dog vs. small wildlife scenario that I imagine is going here in my microcosmic backyard and compare it to the cat vs. small wildlife scenario that existed just a bit more than a year ago. Cats are such stealthy and effective predators. Romeo would regularly leave offerings of mice and chipmunks on the deck and driveway, either whole or partially consumed. It's even possible that he ate the pretty Sicilian rock partridge that showed up last summer, although I like to imagine that it was captured by someone who brought it to the nature center. And yet, for all her barking and growling and frantic crashing around in the woods, Heidi has not attacked another living thing. She seems mostly interested in saying hello in her loud, doggie way.

I don't know why I'm trying to be philosophical about this...it's just a phenomenon I'm observing. I guess it's just that I miss seeing the little animals peering out from the cracks in the stone wall. I miss velvet grey Romeo, the "cat without a face," sunning himself in his cat-tuxedo on the redwood bench. And I miss my butterly garden of love...