Close to Nowhere

I grew up in Memphis, Tenn., in an apartment and I wasn't allowed to have a cat or dog. I wanted at least one of each.

My father built my younger brother Dennis and I a fantastic bird house for in the house. It had split wood shingles for the roof and the inside walls of the rooms had wallpaper. There were stairs going from the ground floor to the second story and a little picket fence around the yard.

It was probably three feet square and at the time was taller than I was. It was on a rolling wooden platform type thing with places for us to keep food and supplies for the birds.

To the best of my recollection, we never had birds live there. But we did have hamsters. I loved the hamsters. My mother didn't. Not that she minded the hamsters, but I don't think Dennis or I either one took very good care of them.

Almost the first thing I got when Pop and I married and moved into our own apartment was a cat. He was a great cat. Probably the best guard dog we ever had. No one, friend or foe, came on our front porch. No one!

It wasn't too long and we got a dog. I've had cats, dogs, fish, birds, etc. ever since.

So I wasn't surprised (well, not very) the other morning when I was in the carport and found these strange, small baby ducks running all around. I was sitting on a stool and my feet were soon covered in ducks. They had no fear at all, in fact, they were all sure I was their new best friend.

When I asked daughter Dana about all the new ducks, she just shook her head, sighed and said, "it's a long story."

I now have two cats and two dogs. The orange dog and cat are inside creatures. The gray dog and cat are outside unless they can beg their way inside creatures.

My inside cat has gone nuts. He has decided that he can no longer walk on the floor.

He has to jump from shelf to furniture to table, etc. to get across a room. Any room. Every room. He's been doing that for a couple of weeks now. Who knows why?

Sometimes, I imagine my mama is looking down from heaven at all the animals around here and laughing like crazy.

She doesn't have to take care of them!