Animals We Grew Up With......

As a little girl, we had a gray and white cat called Cappy short for Captain Cook. Addie must have named him. We had a German Shepard named Butch and a canary called Flicka.

Poor old Cappy was prone to disaster with fighting squirrels and other cats, chasing birds and returning home with chunks out of his fur. Not having a car, Daddy took him to the vet in a basket on his bicycle and the dumb animal jumped out about a mile from home. Two weeks later, he came limping in. Whatever was wrong with him medically, he was cured. Guess he had some adventures of his own trying to find his way home.

Butch lived with us a long time and didn't meet his maker until the late 1950s. He was a great companion. I think we got him around the time Bill was born - like every boy should have a dog. He used to follow us to school until one of us would turn around and take him home. Many a time, he followed us into the movies, to the bank and everywhere in town. Everyone knew him. It was interesting that all the dogs in town were known as Shannon's dog, Pratt's Butch, Colgan's Blackie. Our dogs, cats, etc. didn't need a license, shots or whatever. They were just there to love and take care of us. Mom used to say that if a burglar came to the house, Butch would let him in. Such a big protector!

Flicka was a pretty yellow bird who couldn't sing or talk. Her life with us was relatively short and one morning, found her dead with her little feet in the air.

We had other pets thorugh the years but when people talk about theirs, these are the ones I think of.

Macho Macho Man

On Friday morning, four trucks came rolling down my street...a cherry picker, tractor, dump truck and small pick-up truck. All for me and my tree! Five guys - wow! With their itty-bitty tee shirts, jeans, sun glasses, muscles and hard hats and yes, good looking to boot! :O My maple tree was reduced to branches and dust. Interesting now I can see all the way down the street. I shall miss the shade it brings but not the problems it has caused. I think I'll plant a Crepe Myrtle in its place.

Bring Your Lawn Chair...

Every Wednesday evening in the summer time, Laurel Springs has a concert at the Walt Whitman Farmhouse. This past Wednesday, a steel band performed. I love Caribbean music..it's such a happy sound. At the intermission, they invited the audience up to the band shell to see and try the instruments. The "drum" guy was from Trinidad and makes his own drums. It was interesting to hear the different sounds made with his sticks or whatever they're called. I asked him if he was familiar with your Drum Cafe experience, Kath and he wasn't although was very interested in the concept. I also was talking to a guy with a "Les Paul" guitar. It was very old and worn but he said that he couldn't refurbish it or it would lose its value. All in all, a very good evening.

Another Family Reunion

Some of the cousins decided to have a family get-together as it has been over ten years since the last one. Unfortunately, only four families could make the trip. My cousins, Mike and Sandy along with their children Michael, Chrissy and Stephen and their assorted mates and children. His sister, Ruth and son Tom with June and their children. My sister Jeannette and Tom with four of her children (Pat, Betty, Pam and Cyndy) and my brother Bill and Donna from North Carolina. Bill and Patty came with their four. This year, we went to Bell Haven Campground and rented a pavilion. It started out as a rainy day but soon the sun came out. All of the kids had a ball. Bill rented a 4-seat paddle boat and his girls along with Joey (Pam's son) enjoyed it for awhile. Billy and Stephie (Pam's) had fun just digging in the sand. Good conversation remembering old reunions dominated the day. Uncle Bill took loads of pictures and I have forwarded them to you.

Years ago when our moms were alive, we had themes. We had Crazy Hats, Miss America and even Limericks. My mother's family side was full of fun but the main characters are gone. Hopefully, we can resurrect some of it and plan for a bigger one next year.

Trees

I always loved trees. There's something about trees that form an umbrella over you and yours, bring you shade and lovely to look at in their seasonal colors. Most of the larger ones can be found right here in New Jersey. One of my pet peeves while living in Abilene was the absence of a decent tree!

However, my trees - the Maples, Oaks and Spruce scared the living daylights out of me with the last storm/tornado. Yeah, they waved their branches at me and then, one by one, their branches came crashing down. Tonight I met with the Expert Tree Man and he will take down two of them and trim the others back. So what can you do? Just remember how you enjoyed them on sunny days.