Written Aug. 26, 2003
Last night as I went outside, I heard a cicada bug chattering inside the house as I opened the back door. Thinking that Parker might enjoy playing with it, I continued with the mission of the moment that led me outside, leaving the “locust” in the house.
This morning, as Parker was playing in the kitchen, he found that fascinating buzz-toy, his first encounter with one. Every time he touched it, it buzzed. This was not like his Squatty Chick, the stuffed toy that just fits in his mouth, the one that he likes to walk around squeaking. This thing made its own noise.
Unlike Dad, who removes squeakers, Parker enjoys noise-makers, and he is a good one himself. He is at times very conversational, occasionally argumentative, and always bold. If he wants to see what you are doing, he walks up without hesitation and stands in the middle of it. The locust was outside of his pattern of expectation, though. It was curious, and he was bold, but when it began buzzing, he moved his head back at a tilt and studied it.
Brit, who has rarely shown interest in any toy, walked straight into the kitchen, straight to Parker and took his locust. At this point, I was observing, wondering whether Brit would play with it or eat it, and I was a little surprised that Parker hadn’t eaten it, with his compulsion for sampling the flavor of things. Brit went straight back to her rug and laid down with the locust in front of her mouth. She watched with some amusement as it began to buzz when she touched it with her mouth. I was beginning to think that Brit recognized the sound of the locust, that she had seen these before. After a few slobberings, enough was enough and that time she chomped. While I felt sorry for Parker as he gave Brit that befuddled look for taking his object, I doubt that he will let her do that again, since he observed that it was an edible treat. Now I am hoping that cicadas are not toxic to dogs, as I realize that this will be another thing that Parker will, with quick reflexes, recognize and gulp if he has the opportunity. If they taste good, he will probably extend his curiosity about the pallatibility of other things that buzz.
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Hola,
Todo a su tiempo.