Animal Tales - Part V

      Over almost forty years of living in the country, we had many animals come and go. Our daughters rode the school bus with the Otten families on Spring Creek Road. One year the Jerry Otten Family got ducks for Easter. The ducks were messy and noisy and Jerry was not happy and he called them the dam ducks. So the children named the last two Damn and Dux. Dux died. They must have told the story to one of our kids - probably Angela - and somehow we inherited Damn. Damn was around until he died or was eaten by coyotes.

Lambs: One of Lora's friends, Joanne Felmey, dated a fellow named Alan who raised sheep. Ewes sometimes have twins or they will not accept their offspring and the lambs have to be bottle fed. Lora offered to take the lambs who needed to be hand fed. So Vern built a pen in the cellar to keep them. Whenever their friends would come over, they would bring them upstairs to show them off. Sometimes the little lambs would get excited and pee - on the carpet. This usually happened when Vern and I were out. The lambs would eventually be sent baaack to Alan's farm.

     Alissa dated a boy named Brian who gave her a bunny for Easter. Vern built him a pen in the corn crib attached to the barn. I don't remember what happened to the bunny (Alissa?) but I remember going out to the pen and it just sat there munching on whatever Dit fed him. I've never understood why anyone would want to raise rabbits, not much excitement.

      I would never allow gerbils or any other small animal, we had so many field mice in the house. One night Leah trapped nine. I hated those mice but it comes with living in an old house in the country. Another animal that we had in the neighborhood were coyotes. I truly believe they took care of a lot of our animals. It's a natural occurrence. Coyotes in the Midwest are beautiful animals, sleek and well fed and there is nothing quite like sitting on the screened in back porch late at night and hearing them call to each other.

      We had calves for a short time once. The Donnoe family were building a house in the country. Something happened about fencing and Vern put their few calves into the pony yard. Eventually they took back their calves and the ponies too.

      Next time I'll tell chicken stories.