VISITING THE FUSCUS FAMILY

Sunday, December 21. 2008

VISITING THE FUSCUS FAMILY

In addition to the usual Dewclaw drama I’m also now (almost) a member of another family. That entails a new set of obligations, including attending their family functions. In this case, their holiday gatherings.
I’m the only non-bat in the room, and at these parties everyone hangs from the ceiling. At first this was awkward, but now I simply use my quills to stick to a wall upside down. While that renders me immobile, I’m able to interact with the group. As you know, diet is what plays the dominant role in this society so as long I share their insect-eating customs we’re okay.
Speaking of which, knowing Quinn (Rhonda’s hedgehog husband) has reminded me that I’m not typical of my species. Most hedgehogs devour land-based bugs, but I fly so much with Fenton that I usually eat airborne insects. I tried introducing Quinn to winged snacks, but while he ate them I think he regarded them mostly as an exotic diversion. (Tigress Rhonda, of course, sees even the largest insects as food too small to even bother to floss.)
As usual, Fenton’s mom kept up her usual campaign to get me to set a date for the wedding. I held my tongue, but one of the uncles told me not pay her any mind. (I had to listen to him, after all. I couldn’t move.) He said that Fenton’s mom knows that I’m a “catch” and she’s afraid I’ll change my mind. (As if!) Still, I guess I should take that as a compliment.
Lastly, a llama friend recreated Gran’s carrot nog. Here’s the photographic evidence:

Posted by Lindesfarne at 12:32 | Comments (30) | Trackbacks (0)

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Hope you don't get dizzy hanging upside down. I can see how you stick, but I guess Fenton has to help you up and down. Could you comment on your impressions of Fenton's other family members? We know something about his Mom, but what about Dad and other future in-laws?
And you forgot to ask your own question again...

#1 Thomas Mazanec (Link) on 2008-12-21 13:07 (Reply)

Hey, thanks, Tom! I didn't even notice that... Lol, looks like we're going to be reminding her every week!

...I must be sick if I don't even notice Lindy not asking a question when it was my own idea... blargh...

#1.1 S c y t h e on 2008-12-21 13:36 (Reply)

I think the first pic is broken... Looks good, though. How carrot-ey is it? I enjoy the taste of carrots, but that doesn't look like there's a whole lot of carrot juice in it.

And yes, I would have to agree with the uncle in question. Take it as a compliment, and if you ever feel comfortable enough, maybe you could sit down with her one day and talk to her about it... maybe you can get her to see that you're not going anywhere? (And no, that was not a joke at the expense of her being a bat...)

Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep now... sick as all get-out and I get to work tonight... yaaaaay.

~ D r 3 w

#2 S c y t h e on 2008-12-21 13:29 (Reply)

However, the second picture is getting through? And, at considerably normal speeds, too? Are we risking detection from the aero forces for such increase in bandwidth transmissions, now?

#2.1 jup-reindeer on 2008-12-23 05:33 (Reply)

Yes, the first pic was just one of all the ingredients, but for some reason the file didn't work. I didn't sweat it, since I listed them in last week's blog.
My impressions of Fenton's family are favorable, by and large. I've noticed that they don't speak with sonar while I'm around, so I don't get left out of the conversation. (Carolling is an exception; They don't know how to sing any other way.)
I asked Fenton how old Tree was, and the answer was 35 years. I mentioned this to Dad, who got a faraway look as if he were reminded of something. (He didn't elaborate.)
Here's my question: How old is your tree? Um...I mean, house?

#3 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-12-21 13:38 (Reply)

Interesting question from you and for you. I live in what is known as a manufactured home...aka A Trailer..or as I prefer A Mobile Domicile. It was manufactured in i think 1982. For its age its pretty nice. It was well kept when I moved into it. Nothing really wrong except the old plumbing. Which is easily delt with.
The question for you is this. Is there Mobile Domiciles there also?
Hope you and your Family have a wonderfull Christmas!

#3.1 GhostRider on 2008-12-21 13:56 (Reply)

I live in a one-story house made of brick and mortar (mostly). It's what's known as a "ranch" style dwelling. I don't know exactly how old it is, but I believe it was built in the late 60s.

#3.2 Mortar on 2008-12-28 20:02 (Reply)

Ask your Dad about the Charlie Brown-esque Christmas show he was asked to provide lunch for. Who knows, it might answer some questions.

It's strange; all my boyfriends families have liked me but my family has like none of my boyfriends. Consider yourself lucky that you have the best of both worlds.

#4 Selina Grace on 2008-12-21 13:52 (Reply)

My house (until a few years ago) was built in the 50s. I don't know when my apartment was built, or the group home I work at but that decade would be reasonable for them. There was a lot of suburban house building after the war, when gas rationing ended, new roads were built, boys came back from the service to marry and found families, and owning your own home out of the city became an American dream.

#5 Thomas Mazanec (Link) on 2008-12-21 14:06 (Reply)

While I'm not an insectivore by any means, I've had insects that are currently residing in the fur at the time of my feasting on their host, I just regard them as "seasoning" - and oddly enough, the taste of the airborne ones (if I actually look at my food enough before I eat it, like most carnivores, I"m a fast eater) are more exotic.

#6 Ken D. Lion on 2008-12-21 14:43 (Reply)

Yes, we have mobile homes. The Ursals live in one in Florida, and they drove it up here to visit last summer.

#7 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-12-21 16:00 (Reply)

Hello again Lindesfarne.

Well, to answer your question, my house was built in the 40's so it is about 45 years old.

And now for a related question of my own. What are the building materials used in most homes in your world, besides wood?

I've been looking into a way to send you the comic strip everyone has been talking about since the site dosen't actually exist in your world, but it'll have to wait until I finish the paper for my senior project. can't get that done too early, right?

#8 tsukos on 2008-12-21 17:35 (Reply)

Sorry, there's a typo in my message. I'm somtetimes too hasty when confirming things.

My house was built in the 60's, not the 40's.

#9 tsukos on 2008-12-21 17:40 (Reply)

Many creatures live underground (like most rabbits) and others live in caves (such as Ms. Eyeshine, who bought the Ursals's cave) and still others built their homes entirely out of construction materials (such as the Fennecs in their mansion). However, living trees are the most commonly accepted form of habitation here.
When I visited the human world that was what I was most surprised to see...no trees being used as homes. Apparently humans don't quite have the skill of converting a tree into a residence while simutaneuously maintaining it as a living thing.

#10 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-12-21 17:46 (Reply)

While we don't live within the trunk, there are people who construct homes within the branches. They're called, appropriately enough, "tree houses".

Most tree houses are small enclusures built for the family children and are placed in fairly small trees close to the ground for easy access. However, there are full-blown homes that can sustain multiple residents and are built in large trees tens of feet into the air.

#10.1 Mortar on 2008-12-28 20:15 (Reply)

Trees in your world also seem to have a much greater growth rate. I personally don't know of any tree in this world which could grow to a size that could support habitation in only 35 years, and few that could ever have their trunks hollowed out and still support themselves. The most common form of tree habitation here is an elevated structure nestled in the branches of the tree, but these are fairly rare.

#11 tsukos on 2008-12-21 17:59 (Reply)

Hey Lindesfarne,
Here's a question that's been knocking on my head for a while;

Around 2001 or so, Candace, her husband and Mary left for New Zealand to do what they do best: herd sheep for Peter Jackson's LotR. Then, a few days later, Candace was back at Hare-Link. Could you shed some light on this for us?

#12 Colin on 2008-12-21 18:28 (Reply)

Oh, in a way, Candace has never left Hare-Link. While she, her husband and little Mary reside in New Zealand still working for Peter Jackson, she continues to do Hare-Link tech support long distance. Since Fenton and I still maintain a large part of Hare-Link's hardware, we talk to Candace via text or E-mail several times a day.
She also keeps us posted on the preproduction of "The Hobbit"!

#13 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-12-21 19:26 (Reply)

Interesting, about hanging upside down. Didn't you end up with a headache after a while? Us humans can only hang upside down (or stand on our heads) for so long without causing problems.

In any case -- Lindesfarne, I'm curious about two particular species in your world, one avian and one aquatic, and how they fit in.

Specifically, on the avian side -- the raptors. Hawks, eagles, falcons, etc. I'm asking because here, in our corner of the continuum, birds are nowhere near as intelligent as in Domain, and the sport of falconry (training a raptor to be a hunting companion) has been practiced for at least 4,000 years, possibly much longer. I'm an apprentice in that field myself.

On the aquatic side -- the cetaceans (dolphins & whales). Are they part of your world's society, in their own way? Or do channels of communication between land-based and sea-based folk even exist?

Given the enormous advances made in our world, in terms of computing power and digital signal processing, I'm honestly surprised that no one over here seems to have made more than token attempts to decode any part of cetacean communication.

Thanks for your time. Stay warm. I don't know if your seasons correspond to ours, but it's winter here with a vengeance!

#14 kyrrin (Link) on 2008-12-22 00:07 (Reply)

Well...the thousands (or tens of...or hundreds of...make that an unknown number of) sea going nations is something us land roamers try not to think about too much. There's a whole lot of secrecy about what goes on down there. Indeed, the fact that the oceans even had nations was relatively unknown until our forefathers traveled on wooden boats. Representatives would occasionally visit such ships and the drunken sailors would skew reports of lovely females and monsters from the deep that would arise from the oceans. We do know that national boundries occur on a three dimensional basis. And, once the submarine came into the picture, a whole Oceanic Nations came knocking upon doors of land based nations to issue warnings and threats of war.

Even what we know about their world, today, is highly limited and a fair amount more is classified. Though, it is believed that they had technology when our primitive society was just learning fire. In fact, there was one war that our own State Side country tried to start for the right to travel across national waters. Their side fired the first shot. Our Navy surrendered; no terms. Why? Good question.

#14.1 jup-reindeer on 2008-12-22 16:53 (Reply)

It's probably too late for this question to get through, and it's a bit off-topic anyway, but I had the impression that Quinn was a genuine porcupine. Has he always been openly hedgehog?

#15 John Sergent on 2008-12-22 01:06 (Reply)

Here's an awkward question. Is it popular in your world for one species in your world to pick up the habits of another, such as your acquired taste for flying insects? Here, a diverse palate generally makes people more distinguished; they are more multicultural or international. If it is the case, then why would our human influence be so negative? Aren't we, in a sense, sort of an exotic species to you, too? I suppose there's more to it. I'm sorry to be so pushy--we had this guy, Socrates, who kept examining everyone's assumptions, till the crowds demanded he drink hemlock. He's sort of an idol of mine; I hope your world had an equivalent.

To answer your question: My house was built a little less than 30 years ago. There used to be a farmer's reservoir here, but they moved the water to another part of the neighborhood to protect the surrounding wetlands. We may not live in our trees and the ponds, exactly, but we understand that we need to maintain them to survive.

#16 Karmen (Link) on 2008-12-22 01:10 (Reply)

Even though it's not exactly cold here on the islands, I suspect Old Man Winter is probably angry at us for glorifying global warming!

#16.1 Teonnyn (Link) on 2008-12-22 06:46 (Reply)

My family's house is 9 years old. Kinda in poor condition to be so new. We think whoever made it didn't know what they were doing.

And you're exactly right, to my knowledge, we have yet to figure out how to hollow a tree out and still keep it a living... thing.

Not to mention, there's not a lot of trees in our world that would be big enough for residency. The Redwood trees would be, but those are so old, it'd almost be a sin to hollow one out.

~ D r 3 w

#17 S c y t h e on 2008-12-22 08:30 (Reply)

Not much to say, other than Merry Christmas.

#18 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2008-12-22 18:32 (Reply)

Happy Christmas to all your family!

BTW tell Kell that Abby is fine! we cats like our independence! (Of course, with my humans I DO spend Christmas with them. They feed us well, and there's usually a lot of ribbon about.

#19 Marley on 2008-12-23 04:36 (Reply)

I'm an Animal Behaviorist, as well as a pre-cretaceous period...sort of scientist and I'm very curious about
your worlds Evolution.I know the birds tinkered around with genes and so on to prevent our advancement(which is debated in our world as whether it is ethical to mess with those...very messy argument),but it has been proven Humans(homo sapiens) are descended from homo erectus, and others like that, *which are descended from apes and other primates*,so the birds allowed the Other Apes to advance,BUT humans came about because it was safest in trees and water(note buoyant breasts and hairless bodies)
SO unless the birds also prevented Dinsaurs and other large dangerous creatures to evolve, which they didn't because they themselves exist, so please explain this.Thank you.

#20 Laura on 2008-12-23 12:07 (Reply)

Hmm, on the houses thing.. perhaps everyone is actually animal-sized over there in comparison to humans? The rest of the world around you could be a semi-miniature copy, except for some of the larger species. That would explain how you could live in trees that are hollowed out. Of course an alternate exclamation could be you're normal-sized, but the trees are giants. One comic over here shows furries as normal-size in comparison to animals on the human world, meaning fox the size of a fox and elephant being GIANTS. (fox living in elephant doll houses)

#21 Teonnyn (Link) on 2008-12-24 14:42 (Reply)

It's the latter as Kevin has been cited at being six-foot.

#21.1 Mortar on 2008-12-28 20:32 (Reply)

Merry christmas, amd correct me if I'm wrong:
Coney age:?
Rudy age:15
Your age:20
Kell's age:?
Your Dad:Over 40

#22 Catisbreana on 2008-12-25 21:15 (Reply)

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