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.