Koala Clings On, Endures Irene

You may agree this is not the best picture of Bundaleer. The lighting is awkward... the picture not crisp. But consider the larger conditions.

The wind outdoors was howling. Hurricane Irene was snapping trees in half like baby carrots. Rivers were raging. And power outages had brought the mood of camping right into the home.

So who can blame tiny Bundaleer for clinging to a bonsai tree during the hurricane's height? He needed reassurance that not everything was going to blow away!

However, while the rest of the east coast was yearning for electricity, Bundaleer warmly welcomed the dim lighting. This is much better for sleeping, he thought!

But still, Bundy wondered how his favorite places were faring near the water... What about the boats, the ospreys and all the little animals he hadn't met yet?

It was this last particular cloud of worry that made it hard for even Bundaleer to fall asleep on the night of Hurricane Irene...

Bundy Savors Local Beauty Before Irene Hits

It was not this week's East Coast earthquake that rattled the nerves of our friend, Bundaleer. No, he climbed atop the nearest tree immediately, and enjoyed the gentle rolling ride!

But hurricanes and trees are not the best of friends. And this is why our friend Bundaleer now finds himself a little bit nervous. And so...

...yesterday Bundy and his support crew drove to nearby Greenwich Point to observe the seaside park at its summer peak.

Bundaleer could not fathom that within 24 hours, the plentiful green leaves could turn brown, and elegant boats might be strewn across the beach.

Holding a compass, Bundaleer tried to figure out which direction was southeast. Forecasters had predicted winds might come most fiercely from that direction...

Bundaleer was puzzled why so many nice boats were still afloat in the water. Irene would be here in 24 hours! Didn't the boat owners want to protect their nice boats? Poor boats!

And then there was the huge osprey nest located on the inlet. (Can you see it? Double-click to enlarge the picture!) Oh no, thought Bundaleer! It might get blown to smithereens! Where will the ospreys take shelter?

Bundaleer frowned, which koalas do not like to do, and pondered all of this as he gazed at a sandbar's silhouette. It was possible that the sandbar might not even be there after Irene. Bundaleer felt sad...

But still, the small koala with a big heart was glad he had come to the park. Life is supposed to be full of peaks and valleys, Bundaleer reassured himself, and today had been a pretty peak!

Bundaleer vowed to hold tightly onto these beautiful images in his mind, even when the winds were sure to be howling soon enough outside his window.

I saw the green, I loved the green, the green will come back next year... he kept repeating to himself gently.

This is Bundaleer reporting live from Greenwich Point, on Long Island Sound, in Connecticut.

Bundaleer Ponders Going "Hog Wild!"

It sure looked nice, this European farm lifestyle of just lying around on one's side. Na ja, die Mutter und Baby hog together! Bundy, who lost his own mother to cancer, studied the hogs' pose enviously and angled himself just so.

But after a while, Bundaleer felt things weren't quite right. He soon came to understand, from personal experience, that small Australian koalas are totally different than big German wild hogs.

First of all, he realized he didn't enjoy getting dirty like these wild hogs did. It's not so good for blog pictures.

Second, these wild hogs had hooves, not claws, so they couldn't even climb up nice nearby trees! Poor hogs, thought Bundy, just stuck on ground level!

Third, and not surprisingly, Bundaleer considered the topic of food. These hogs didn't seem too picky about what they ate. Bundy, on the other hand, felt he had a very clear idea about what constitutes an excellent meal, and what doesn't.

So Bundaleer, who often consults books when he has questions, took out from the library a Very Important Book. This book was Joanne Ehrich's book entitled, Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity.

Like the serious student he is, Bundy first appreciated the book's nice pictures but then moved on to more challenging text.

The book clarified for him that (1) white koalas like him are indeed very rare, (2) he, as a koala, is definitely supposed to be out of the dirt and up in the trees, and that (3) he must rely only on whatever branches of eucalypt smell good to him on that particular day.

Oh, so koalas are supposed to be picky, Bundy thought happily! He felt relieved because when he had studied the wild hogs, he had been feeling particularly picky that day...



And so, by reading this Very Important Book, Bundaleer confirmed that his instincts were indeed natural and good.

That is why he is so proud and pleased to wear this special scarf made for him earlier this year by Anna, one of his biggest fans. The scarf reads: I [HEART] SALAD!

Now, when Bundaleer decides to go "hog wild", he only does so for his favorite meal: eucalyptus leaf salad! And for a koala, that's just the right thing to do!

Bundy Visits Lübeck, Famous for Marzipan

Another place Bundy visited recently was Lübeck, in northern Germany. Lübeck is famous for marzipan, a sweet ground almond paste that can be molded into all kinds of fun shapes, and painted with chocolate and other edible liquids. Above is the shop of Niederegger, premier German marzipan maker!

Bundy couldn't believe all these "vegetables" were really made out of sweet marzipan! He wondered whether ground eucalypt leaves could also become pretty shapes like carrots and apples. Maybe that would make people want to plant more eucalypt trees...

When he found a chair his size, Bundy hopped right into it, sharing the space with friendly marzipan seals. The seals were happy to meet this gentle, land-loving mate.

At last, Bundy received a delightful gift: a small marzipan bear of his own! Of course, Bundy is not a bear but a koala. Nonetheless, both animals share a special closeness of appearance as well as spirit.

Here, the two mates work hard to pose just right for a formal portrait.

"They still exist...the good things."

Well, Bundy has come out of hiding. Finally. He turned up last week in Germany in a shopping bag, of all things.

Fittingly, the bag states that the good things, well, they still exist. This is very reassuring because I was beginning to wonder.

This particular photo of Bundaleer was taken outside the headquarters of Manufactum, a very special retailer based in Germany.

Bundy, we missed you. Don't go into hiding again, OK!?!?