I am grateful to my mother for always having pets in our home. Cats, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, fish, turtles – you name it we had it. Except the monkey. And this was in the city, nowhere near any farms! I don’t have any memory of how the animals came to live with us. They were just always there. My Mom always called them our four legged friends.
Recently my mother found a photo of me holding my hamster in a coconut shell with our dog’s nose two inches from the hamster, lovingly ready to lick it. It’s a black and white photo from 1972. The scene is peaceful quiet suburbia.
My daughter just got a hamster so it was one of those full circle moments for me.
I vaguely remember my 12 year old self in the photo but I remember those animals clearly. I think it’s a sign of the times – 35 years on – that Mom’s have forgotten how to slow down and create and enjoy the moments that last, the moments they had in their own childhood – albeit with mothers who were likely less busy outside the home.
Thanks Mom for providing the time and space for us to play with and love the animals in our lives.
Jackie said,
April 21, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Hi Lorra, great theme! Congrats on getting your blog up!
Jackie
Maurine said,
April 25, 2008 at 3:51 am
Hi Lorra,
I felt nostalgic reading the “Four legged friends” as it brought up many good memories of my own childhood pets. Out family had almost as many kinds of pets as yours – just missing the guinea pigs and gerbils. I loved the depiction of your dog just about to lovingly lick your hamster. I can picture it so clearly, this over-eager dog excitedly trying to reach this little hamster to express its feelings. I remembered the many times my dog could not contain her happiness to see me and lovingly licked my face, hands, and any other body part she could contact.
I am curious, though, about the story behind “the monkey”. Was there an actual monkey that you were not allowed to adopt into your family or is “the monkey” just a term like “the kitchen sink” when people say such things as, “He had everything but the kitchen sink in his bag”?
Thanks for the good memories! Maurine