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Pets in the Present
In 2006, Cindy and I picked up a rescue-poodle, Toby. Born in 2004, he's experiencing a second puppyhood with us, and we're ridiculously happy to have in around. He's a fury at the dog park, outrunning everything except (maybe) an Irish wolfhound. At home, well, he's a terror, too, but he doesn't chew furniture.
My sister, Mary, has a loyal cat who follows in the Furry tradition of mousing, carousing, and generally leading a good cat life. This is a picture of him, on the right, doing one of the ten things cats do best.
Pets from the Past
The
coolest pet I ever had was Furry. There aren't any really good photos of
her anymore, but a retouch of a classic "go away" pose makes for
a good portrait. Like all good cats, Furry was distinguished and aloof,
to a degree. Unlike dogs, cats generally have lives--perhaps even more than
one per cat. When people bother dogs, they either go postal (note how apropos
the term is for these beasts) or whimper 'till death. Cats let you know
that you're bugging them, then they go about their business. As a tribute
of sorts to Furry, I've created a children's story about her, which I've
uploaded to this site. Click here to hear
"Furry the Positively Amazing Singing Cat."
My
spouse, Cindy, had three funky cockatiels. This little fellow is Petie,
the most ornery of the lot. If this was really Petie, and not just a graphic,
he'd be biting you right now.
"Pets" in the Wild
Before Toby joined us, Cindy and I learned to appreciate even more the animals who already share our property. This handsome little possum makes an appearance every few months. Possums aren't the brightest creatures on earth, apparently, but they can be awfully cute.
We also have our share of birds. Mostly crows, robins, and sparrows, but a few jays and even woodpeckers visit us from time to time. This one tried to steal our license plate.
No longer having birds, we enjoy the birds around us. Green Lake always has Canadian geese, though their company can't be taken for granted.
We even travel to see birds, especially ones that are migrating. At the right time of year, just an hour north of Seattle you can see fields and fields of birds, just like in Nebraska.
