Displaying Against the Thunder and Clearing the Road

Almost every picture I take of Bow lately comes out dark. We've had a lot of rainy days, though not that much of  a temperature drop. For October, most days have been very warm and almost summer-like. The fall cherry blossoms are about ready to turn into cherries.

Blossoms to Cherries

Clover and daisies and other flowers are so plentiful and fresh that they attract insects.

There are plenty of pollinators still out there.

Both bumblebees and honey bees are out making the rounds.

As the persimmon fruit ripens, anglewing butterflies are drawn to the tree.

I think they like the smell of ripened fruit.

All is calm and peaceful, warm and idyllic, most of the time. But last night, a terrible thunderstorm woke Bow up from his sleep. Not one to give in easily to fear, even as the lightning and the thunder moved ever closer to us, Bow displayed and vocalized at the heavenly aggressor, Never willing to back out of a fight for the protection of his territory, Bow did his best to defend my property from Thor of the thunder, using words, more than deeds. But when my daughter came home from work that night, she had to park her car in the middle of the internal road to my house, because a fallen limb from one of the poplar trees was blocking the way. "You're going to have to move that out of the way tomorrow morning," she told me. As governor of this territory, apparently that's my job.

When I first went out there this morning to assess the damage, I did not think I would be able to move the limb by myself. It looked too big and solid. But when I tried, it turned out to be much easier than it looked. I pushed, and the limb moved aside.

Sometimes we can be lulled into a sense of learned helplessness just by the enormity of the thing that needs to be done. But when we know that there is no one there to help us, and people are counting on us to do the job, then somehow the job does get done.

I still have acquaintances who bring up roads as an excuse for taxation. "Taxation is theft" is always answered with "But who would build the roads?" I could just imagine all those people quipping: ""But without government, who would clear the roads of fallen trees after a thunderstorm?" 

Raising Your Voice

Despite the cold, Bow asks to go outside every day. He has a sweater and socks and clothes he could choose to wear, but he never does. He wants to go out as he is. And while he does not stay out for long, he does seem to accomplish a lot.

One of his favorite things to do is to express himself. First he looks around to see what he can see.

But then he does not wait very long to make his own contribution.

Bow's cries can be heard a long way away. Some people yodel. Bow just vocalizes. Then when he is done he can relax and enjoy the view.

And when Bow feels that he has accomplished all that can be accomplished, he takes that leap back inside, without ever touching the ground.

Does Bow go outside primarily to express himself? Is it because he can use his outdoor voice and it can carry well beyond the borders of our property? Is he sending a message to someone out there, or merely enjoying the sound of his own voice?

Many years ago, someone asked me whether I write in order to express myself or to communicate with others. At the time, I thought it an odd question. What would be the point of expressing myself, if I did not hope others would read and understand? What would be the point of communicating with others, if you were not allowed to express yourself in that communication?

But one of the things I have realized in the past thirteen years is that while communication and self-expression are related and often intertwined, they actually are separable. I am inclined to think that self-expression predates communication. I believe that reciprocity is overrated. Some messages go only one way. Sometimes you broadcast, but never receive. Like a baby's cry, which indicates a want, our most important ways of expressing ourselves go out, whether there is an appropriate audience or not. If the baby is lucky, his call will be heeded by a person who understands the want being expressed. Then self-expression will blossom into communication. But even so, every communication starts out as one-sided. In order to receive the self-expression of someone else, we have to stop speaking long enough to hear the other.

Bow always comes in from his outdoors sessions with a self-satisfied expression. He has said what he had to say. And whether or not his message was received, he feels much better.

Standing Up to Thunder

This morning it was nice out, and Bow went outside several times. But right in the middle of lunch, before Bow even got to the bananas, it suddenly grew dark, and there was rain outside and thunder.

I asked Bow what else he wanted to eat, but Bow indicated by pointing at the door that he needed a break from lunch so he could take care of the problems we were having with the weather.

Bow protested the rain and the thunder by displaying, vocalizing and making a lot of noise by rattling a chained lock. He also threw himself against the glass a couple of times and struck it with his hand, but that hurt, so he decided not to do it again.

However, when the rain did not let up despite all Bow's hard work, he asked to eat his two remaining bananas.

Now the thunder has died down  and the rain has let up a little. It is probably a delayed reaction to Bow's earlier protest. Bow is content. He can relax now. Until the next thunder burst, anyway.

Playing with Leo While Waiting for Sword

Today is the day Sword is expected back. When I brought the calendar in this morning to show Bow, he asked me again why she has not returned. This was the first time he asked me since the calendar routine has been instituted. I told him we have to wait for this evening. He seemed to accept this and asked to go outside.

Bow enjoys his swing, but he also likes playing with Leo. Leo is an unusual dog, because he identifies with others and tries to imitate them. When Brownie, our chocolate lab, starts to howl. which is a natural behavior for him, Leo joins in. Howling does not come naturally to Leo, but he imitates Brownie, out of a social desire to show solidarity. In the same way, Leo sometimes tries to vocalize like a chimpanzee. In the video below, listen to the sound. It wasn't Bow who made that vocalization. It was Leo.

After the friendly game of chase, Bow decided to swing some more, and while he was swinging, he started vocalizing, and since he was already vocalizing, he thought he might as well display, too. But notice that as soon as he was done displaying, Bow sat down meekly and waited for me to open the door so he could go back inside.

There is such a thing as a completely non-violent display of dominance. Bow is not trying to hurt anyone when he does this. He just wants us to appreciate him and his prowess.

Bow did not stay indoors long, though. He wanted to go back out so he could play chase with Leo again..

Playing chase is good exercise for both Leo and Bow. Unlike Teyman, who used to feel provoked and angry when Bow tried to initiate play with her, Leo understands. He gets it. He knows it is just a game, and he considers Bow to be his good friend. I think Bow feels the same way.

Raising a Happy Noise: Not Necessarily Intentional Communication

Everybody knows about chimpanzee vocalizations. The experts have classified them, numbered them, named them, and they can assure you that they are "not language." And because they have not been seen to have the abstract levels of encoding that we expect in language, the experts have concluded that chimpanzees don't "have language", as if language were a possession that one can carry around and display to others and own.

Bow "has language", in the sense that he can spell in Hebrew and English. He also "has language" in the sense that when I say something like "pick that up and throw it away", he knows what I mean. (Whether he'll do as I ask is a whole other question.) I mean, "having language" is not only producing an utterance. It is also decoding the utterance made by another. In all these senses, Bow "has language."

But Bow is also a chimpanzee. And sometimes he has to raise a happy noise. Or an aggressive noise. Or to express his feelings directly. Not every sound a human makes is language, either. Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes we cry. Sometimes we sneeze. Bow vocalizes. And his vocalizations tend to have the plot structure of a sneeze.

Not every sound we make is entirely voluntary. Cries of fear or joy often aren't. A sneeze, on the other hand, is something we may allow to happen or not quite pull off. So it is with Bow's vocalizations. Sometimes he starts but clearly does not finish. Sometimes the vocalization runs its course, and then he seems relieved and happy.

There is a difference between intentional communication and unintentional signals. Bow exemplifies that difference. He is not trying to tell anyone anything when he vocalizes like this. But this does not mean that we don't learn something about how he is feeling, if we listen.

Beautiful Spring Weather

After a very snowy start, March has suddenly turned spring-like. Two days after the snow thawed, the daffodils came out.

My daughter is visiting her grandmother, so she missed the flowers. Bow, who did not get to see Lawrence this week, either, was sad to see Sword go. "I have just mommy," he told me.

When the weather is fine, Bow gets to go outside. It's nice not to be stuck indoors all the time. This morning,  Bow went out, and he got very enthusiastic about letting everyone out there hear his greeting.

It's almost spring. Can anybody doubt it?