(177) Young Desires and Pet Death

I’ve written in this blog about how much I love my dogs and love my cat. I guess it is pretty well understood that I love animals and have for most (all?) of my life. When I was young, I really, really, REALLY wanted a horse. I would ask my parents most every day if they would get me a horse. This is pretty typical for a girl growing up in the Midwest. Lots of my farm friends had horses and I would go to their houses and we would ride their horses and I would just have to have one. Finally my father could not take my asking any longer and sat me down with paper and pencil. He asked me questions that would last a life time. It went something like this:

Please can I have a horse?
How much does a horse cost?
I don’t know.
Okay, lets just say you could get an old nag for $200. How would you pay for a horse?
With my allowance.
How much do you currently get for your allowance?
50 cents a week.
Do the math. How long would it take you to just pay for the horse?
Scribble, scribble, scribble, So dad, it would take me 400.
400 what?
400 weeks. How many weeks in a year?
52
Okay so how many years?
Scribble, scribble, scribble, About 8 years
And where would you keep this horse?
At my friends farm.
Yes, but you have to feed it. What would you feed it?
Straw, oats, apples
What would that cost for just one year?
I don’t know
Okay lets just say a horse could eat for a thousand dollars a year
Forget it! (Picture a thrown pencil and paper)

Anyway, I love my pets and don’t mind that they cost me to keep them, they are a part of our family. When our previous pets died we were incredibly sad and mourned them like a family member.

So when our son, Ben contacted us a day ago to let us know that one of their rabbits had died and that his wife, Jessica was devastated I understood her loss. She loves her bunnies like I love my dogs, and cat. Ben said that Jessica so sad because the bunny that died was one that she had had for a long time. Since she was 14 or 15 years old. As she said, the bunny, Bo has been there for her through many events in her life, and has loved her unconditionally for a long time. I am deeply sad for Jessica and know that she will miss her companion. Only time can aid a loss like the death of a cherished pet.

I wanted to show you the beautiful plant that is growing up the eastern side of the corn stocks. I have been passing these each morning as I travel to work and at first couldn’t make out what was catching my eye. Then I stopped and looked and noticed that it seems to be a morning glory plant that opens in the AM and closes by evening. Aren’t they beautiful?