E.politics world headquarters has taken up residence in its hometown of Palestine, Texas for the past week or two, and today got a real treat: playing with baby armadillos. Well, adolescents probably, since they’re big enough to come out of the burrow on their own (they sassed me, too — clearly teenagers). My parents have a big backyard with a creek nearby, and a family of the little South American immigrants has set up shop in the hole left by a decaying tree stump near the driveway. The adults only seem to come out after dark, but the four young ‘uns are risk-takers and braved the post-thunderstorm damp and gloom this morning to look for tasty bugs.
They let me get close enough to hang out for a bit while they dug around in the grass, and a couple even sniffed at my pants leg (no doubt to see if I’m edible). We’ll eventually have to drive them out, since they’re tearing up the yard pretty bad, but in the meantime, they’re damn cute. I’m gonna bring ’em on payroll as consultants; the rest of the e.politics staff had better step up or they may need to find themselves new jobs.
– cpd
The cool part I left out: one of the baby armadillos turned up a little bitty grass snake when it was digging around, and the snake wrapped the back part of its body around the armadillo’s ears, with the rest of its body waving around looking for solid ground. It was, for a few seconds, a one-snaked medusa armadillo! Until the reptilian part of the combo package got its bearings and high-tailed it off. Life in Palestine, Texas is somethin’ else, I tell you what.
MMM. good eating.
Apparently, ‘dillos were known as “Hoover Hogs” during the Great Depression by those who ate them. Put that in your Republican pipe and smoke it, Mr. Sobel. Perhaps they’ll be renamed “Bush Bacon” soon…?
I will get ahead of the curve and think of them as Obama Park Franks. Work with me on this one.
Nice! We’ll open a stand and serve Hoover Hog fritters, Obama Park Franks (are those kosher?) and fried lard on the side. Mmm, mmm good — franchises available for qualified applicants.
Is this what passes for good eating in Texas? I thought there was at least decent chili and barbecue. Toast doesn’t count.