Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thursday Thirteen

Animals in my life:

1. My dog Ginger. She was with me from 1984 to 2001, which is a very long time for a dog. She was 17 years old when she died. She was a mix of an Eskimo Spitz and terrier, I think. She never weighed more than 35-40 pounds. Because of my terrible allergies, we kept her outside unless it was very cold out, and then I would bring her into the garage. Even though it's been a dozen years since she passed away, sometimes I still expect to see her scampering around in the back yard when I look out the window.

2. We raise beef cattle, and I grew up with cattle. Fortunately I have never had to handle more than calves. Cows are fun to watch, though. They are very calm creatures most of the time.

3. My father had chickens for a while when I was a young girl.

4. He also had guineas,

5. Quail,

6. Turkeys,

7. and ducks.


8. Deer. These are not pets or something we raise, but I consider the deer to be my animal totem.

9. I have never owned a cat, but cats have played an interesting role in my life. My mother thought my grandfather came back as a cat, and I think my mother sends me a black cat as a warning. This is because the day we buried my mother, I came home to find a black cat in the front yard. It hung out around the house for a year almost to the day of my mother's death and then it vanished. Now I only occasionally see a black cat on the farm, usually less than once a year, and I consider it a warning. The other day I saw two different black cats on the farm within an hour. I wonder what is up . . .

10. We aren't supposed to have mountain lions in this area, but I am one of a number of people who claim to have seen them. I have seen them several times, actually. I saw one when I was a young girl, and back then I heard the scream of a panther late in the evening a few times. Then I saw a mountain lion cross the road in front of me when I was driving over Caldwell Mountain one day. Officials claim there are no mountain lions here and that what we are seeing are bob cats. However, I have seen those, too, and I know the difference.

11. In the last several years, we've had swans on the farm ponds. This includes a black swan that appeared out of nowhere and hung out for a long time. These birds were brought in by a local millionaire for his pond but sometimes they apparently want a change of scenery. They fascinate me because they are so elegant in the water, and look so unusual. That's especially true for the black one.

12. To my knowledge I don't have mice in my house, but growing up we frequently did. I remember my mother opened up a drawer where she had stored some lace to find a mouse nest full of babies in there. And one time during a party a mouse ran out into the room full of guests, and my mother took off her high heel and killed the thing with it. I imagine that was the highlight of the party. I have an affinity for mice dressed like Santa Clause.

13. So far this year I have not seen a bear on the farm, but they are around. I have taken a few photos of them. We once had a little cub on Grandma's front porch.




Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 294th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

13 comments:

  1. I like your list of animal friends. The parts about bears and mountain lions sound familiar to our area too. People claim to see them and officials brush it off, well the mountain lions anyway. There have even been bears in the city of Rochester, NY. No denying them.

    I have played Thursday Thirteen on and off for about seven years. It makes a fun game. And I often tag my lists as a Thursday Thirteen even when they aren't. :)

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  2. The mouse stories are funny and the fact that you like Santa mouses. We had a dog name Ginger too. Her last name was Snap.

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  3. I want to be a millionaire who has a pond with swans. I have zero interest in finding a baby bear on my porch. None.

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  4. My post is about animals in my life, too. Here's my mouse story. When I was a camp counselor, I was cleaning out a unit house and I lifted a bunch of kitchen mitts. In the bottom glove, a mother mouse nursed her babies. She looked at me and tried to scurry away with her little ones clinging to her. Some fell off. I wanted to take the moment back, to not find the nest and leave her and her family in peace. I think mice are cute. :)

    http://www.miaceleste.com/?p=323

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  5. i would love to have a whole farm ... that would be a real blast. be with nature & all. fun list. ( :

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  6. I'm not sure anyone owns cats. People are companion pets of cats. I saw a bobcat once too. Wonderful to spot a deer. Such a privilege to see any living thing, even beetles and ants. The world is alive. It's easy to forget in among all the concrete and pavement.

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  7. You're surrounded by wonder. So many animals.

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  8. Good luck with your bear sighting, and I hope it's from a distance. :) I had a boyfriend who spent a lot of time on his grandparents' farm and he enjoyed being around the cows for the reason you site. He attributed their calm to stupidity. If it makes them docile and happy, then good for them!

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  9. I never saw a mountain lion clear enough in the wild to be sure of what I was seeing, but I've heard them cry many times. Eerie.

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  10. We haven't seen near the wildlife at this home as at our other house. Maybe they are just sneakier here. Love that black swan. The golf course is not far from our house and we do hear a lot of geese that live at the pond there. Noisy critters!

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  11. Fun post, Anita! I've seen the wild turkeys wandering about again, and yesterday saw a trio of hawks circling a field across from the nearby the apple orchard. I often see rabbits and squirrels on my walks, but Monday had a new and fun sighting for me: a groundhog! Spring walk

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  12. Awww... the deer reminds me of Bambi. When I was little my grandpa gave me a pink buffalo (she was actually an albino but she looked pink to me). I visited her at Grandpa's farm during summers.

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  13. Wow, that's really cool about the black cats!

    One time I called the cops when I heard a mountain lion or a bobcat, whatever it was, down there. I thought someone was getting murdered. I'm sure the police had a good chuckle over the Yankee!

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