Animal Tales. Part I

Judy was showing me the Savannah State Park which is just a little in back of us. It is true savannah, lots of high grass and because it's Florida, it is also somewhat swampy. She was discussing that people like to hike into this area in which alligators and snakes thrive. She (or I) have no idea why someone would like to do this, and this led to a discussion on why anyone would like to be around these or any animals. Among my friends and cohorts, I am known as a person who hates animals. I do not hate animals, I just hate them in my house! I did not come upon this decision overnight but through years of animal abuse. Animals - and children - abusing my sensibilities!!!

My first memory of an animal in my life is on either my second or third birthday, I was given a red furry Chow puppy- there's a picture someplace, if I ever find it I will post it - and when I named it, because I was two or three, I named it, what else, but Chow! I don't know what happened to him, but we lived in a house off the alley behind Nevada and Norman Sellar's house on Hurlbert and Cedar Street. Cedar Street is now MacArthur Highway and even for the end of the 1930s, a busy street, so I think maybe Chow was hit by a car. There were no other animal's in our family that I can remember - siblings can add something if they can remember others - until we moved to the house on Howett and we had a big dog named Tippy. I don't recollect what happened to Ole Tip, but probably the same fate as Chow as Howett Street was also Illinois Route 116 and very busy despite WWII, gas rationing and few tires available.

When Vern and I married, we moved into a brand new house on Maxwell Road, out by the Airport on our first anniversary in January. That April we obtained Sam, the Last Great Dog in America, from the pound, but that is another story or Part II.