Yesterday, my wife found a young whitewing dove - a bit older than Panchi had been when I found her - on the blazing hot street of our summertime Phoenix neighborhood. The whitewings are out in all their glory these days, and apparently doing well, if this little offspring is any indication.

However, this one seems to have left the nest into a harsh and hot world for which it had not yet had adequate time to prepare, as my wife was easily able to pick it up and bring it home.

As usual with any bird in shock, we dispatched it to a small cardboard box lined with a towel in order to offer quiet, dark, and warmth, albeit less "warmth" than it had probably endured on the 140+ degree asphalt street! And upon close inspection, I could see that the bird has no apparent injuries.

Today, I put the little dove into Panchi's old cage, where it jumps around, from perch to perch, as well as resting calmly. Having become concerned that I had "domesticated" Panchi, I will not allow this youngling to bond with me - as Panchi had - nor allow it to get comfortable with our dogs. In this way, I am confident it will return fully well to the wild after a week or so.

Here at home, I have been fortunate to be able to dedicate one room for spiritual practices, primarily yoga and meditation. I keep some of my spiritual artwork there, as well as some altars dedicated to various religions of the world.

One day, I came to the room to discover that a lizard had apparently sought refuge on the main altar. Now, it is odd to begin with that a lizard - the kind known locally as a "fence-swift" - would find its way into the house and all the way back to this rear room. I have found a number of geckos in the house though, so it is not entirely inexplicable.

However, this lizard - having evidently been in the house for quite a long time, judging by its thin appearance and general lack of energy - had nestled down in front of a framed photo of the Hindu guru, Paramahansa Yogananda, before which lay a tuft of my own hair, which I had earlier left on the altar after cutting off my pony-tail. So, this lizard lay motionless, but alert, on my hair in front of this photo on the altar.

Hindus regard guests in one's home as manifestations of the Divine come to visit. In this case, I felt especially moved at the juxtaposition of this wayward visitor!

Of course, I immediately took care in moving him, atop his hair nest, into a small terrarium, to which I also quickly dispatched some water.

Reptiles of this type need warmth to remain active. Upon observing that the lizard barely moved toward the water I offered, I took it in its chamber out onto the porch for some sunlight. Sure enough, the lizard began to rouse, and then it took some water. After a few minutes, seeing that it had regained full energy, and after spending some time marveling at the beauty of the geometric markings on the scales of its diminutive back, I released it onto the concrete porch.

The lizard lay calmly near me for maybe 15 minutes. Then, it moved away toward the grass and a nearby tree, where I often see these lizards.

All the while, he would stop periodically to look back at me. I like to think this little swift appreciated my assistance in taking him "home," and that he was saying so in this way.

In any case, I saw that same lizard off and on for days thereafter, until it blended fully back into the scenery of its native terrain.