Update on Logan and Dusty

I would like to thank everyone that came to post a concern about Logan. Well he is doing real good and he is so full of himself, jumping at everything. One of his favorite things to do is play in the bathtub under a towel, he gets so tickled when you reach under the towel, he tries to get out of the tub fast but his little feet keeps slipping out from under him, when this happens he will jump on your arm. Logan is happy that Dusty has decided to play with him.

If you look on my post titled "Baby Logan", you will notice that Dusty was still not feeling good and his hair was sparce. I am glad to say he is feeling very good and his hair is really coming back. I am going to put their pictures on the post for all to see. It looks like Dusty has decided Storm is not coming home any more and has decided to move on with his life and accept Logan. Doesn't my man fur look nice? I had to have an implant to bring back my nice coat of fur.

Trip to the Vets

Logan's first trip to the vets for his distemper and rabbies shot's ended almost in a disaster. He left the house in his carry case, already he was digging at the cage door, he did not like trapped inside, he is a very free spirited ferret.

When he arrived at the vets he went right in the room, he had a short wait, Logan was very upset at being in the cage. The vet came in and checked him over and gave him his distemper shot, they waited a few minutes to make sure he was alright. Sarah took him out to the car, put the cage on the back seat and went back in to pay the vet.

The vet wanted to take a picture of Logan, they always do this so when you pay your bill a picture will be at the top every time. So Sarah went to the car to get Logan, when she opened the cage Logan was lying lifeless on his back, he was rushed back into the office and immediately the vet gave him a shot to help bring him around, when he started to move a little he was given oxygen until he could breath on his own. Logan had to wait a few minutes to make sure he was okay. Sarah was so afraid she was going to have a repeat of Storm.

We had a mess to clean up when they got home, the reaction from the shot made Logan poop all over Sarah and the inside of the cage, not to mention himself, poor baby. We cleaned everything up and hugged Logan and carried him around telling him everything was going to be all right, he was still spitting up. We put him in his hammock in the cage, he slept the rest of the day and night.

I am happy to say this morning he was awake and ready to get out for his fun play, he was so full of it, ran all over and jumped on our leg's. We were happy to see him acting as himself. Dusty woke up to run and play with him. Wedid not let him run more than an hour and he was glad to be put back, he climbed in his hammock and went right to sleep. He is our Christmas miracle, it only took one day for Logan to recover.

Merry Christmas

I am wishing all my blog friends a very Merry Christmas, and as we aproach a new year I want to say I hope this last year was good to all of you.

I was surprised when I went on one blog site and they reported that sales people and restaurant staff are not allowed to say Merry Christmas, they have been instructed to say Happy Holiday, this is so not to offend peoples religion. I like to say it, after all this is the only time of the year you can say it, when I buy cards I always go for the Merry Christmas ones.

This season is to commercial, the TV ads start before Thanksgiving is over and so does the music. I use to like to see some Christmas programs on TV, but not any more. I would like to know what you friends think about Christmas season. I do hope you will enjoy Christmas day with friends and family. I have enjoyed coming by your blog sites and reading about different Christmas experiences, love all the pictures, love Margaret. This is my son Doug's tree, he was kind enough to do this for me.

Baby Logan

Little Logan came into our family on November 14th, 2008, we wanted another pet to love, he is not a replacement for Storm. As pet owners know not one pet that has gone to the Bridge can be replaced, they each and everyone has a special place in our hearts. They leave behind many memories of their delightful personalities, things they did to make us laugh and smile.

Just like Dusty and Storm, Logan was born in New York on the Marshal Ferret Farm, on August 17th, 2008, his breed is a black sable. My granddaughter purchased him at PetCo in Holland, Michigan on November 14th., she also bought him his own cage and supplies. The reason for this we did not know how Dusty would act around a strange ferret, so we fixed Logans cage up for him and put Logan in for the night. At the pet store Logan had a cage buddy, so he chewed and dug at the bars of his cage, he wanted out. Logan was not use to a regular cage, if anyone has ever went into PetCo they would see their animals are in glass cages except the birds.

The next day we put Dusty and Logan on the floor and Dusty grabbed him by the neck and drug him around, this is normal behavior and then he ignored him the rest of play time. Logan was not afraid of Dusty, he followed him around and tried to play. The first week when Logan was out he would chuckle all the time, this is their way of talking, it really sounds so cute. He liked us right away, never would let you catch him, until a few days he would come up to you and if you tried to pick him up he would run away, he is so cute and soft, we love him already. We tried to see if he likes fruit or vegetables but he does not, he does like whipping cream and his ferret oil. We are putting him in Dusty's cage a little at a time, one time they did fall asleep together, so I guess there is hope.

I have to give you an update about Dusty, he misses his pal Storm very much and was mourning him when we got Logan. It was heart breaking when we would let him out for play time, he went all over the house looking for Storm, plus he doesn't look so good, he lost almost all his hair from that adrenal disease, he did have an implant under his skin to get his hair back, but it is a slow process. He tolerates Logan, does not drag Logan so much any more, and he will play with him a little. It is sad to look in Dustys cage and see him laying in his hammock alone, without Storm draped over him like a blanket. Dusty caught a intestinal virus that Logan brought with him, but Logan did not have it, just was a carrier. So we had to take Dusty to the vets and get medicine, we thought we were going to loose Dusty for awhile, it took a week, he is all better now.

Logan likes to run at your legs and jump on them, when you bend down to pick him up he runs away, he never stops running around the house when it is play time. He has a tube to run through, a big blanket on the floor to run on, plays with plastic pop bottles and anything you throw for him to chase, we are trying to break him of chewing on the cords. The thing he enjoys most is hiding things under couch and beds, he even trys to drag your shoes under. We are going to post some pictures of him soon.

Goodbye to Storm

We had another death in our house, our beloved Ferret Storm passed away during surgery this morning, He was so sweet and gentle, he was born on a ferret farm in New York on Halloween 2004, Sarah had also purchased his brother Dusty.

Storm was having surgery to remove an enlarged spleen and his heart stopped beating as the operation was being done. What a loss, we will miss him so much and I know his brother Dusty will, they were the best of buddies and loved to play together, and snuggle up to sleep.

Back a few posts of mine you can read about Storm & Dusty, there is also pictures on the post, the name of the post is "The Boy's". I am also thinking of all you blogger friends that have lost pets and personally I know how you feel, and appreciate all your condolences as to our loss, we will meet them again at Rainbow Bridge. Goodbye to another faithful friend until we meet again, I am going to miss you begging for a piece of bread and your kisses, goodnight sweet prince.

Farewell To Willow A Faithful Friend

Our wonderful pal and buddy Willow went to the Bridge today at 9:30 a.m. and is now playing at the Bridge with her friend Melody . Melody was our cat of 16 years, she has been gone a year now and still greatly missed. In their younger years the two did have their fun playing and chasing each other. Willow would of been 11 years old this coming February 28th., 2009.

We don't know who her owners were because we got her at the shelter when she was three months old. They did not have a clue because they rescued her from the side of the road. I can remember when we first saw her at the shelter, she was peeking over a pen they had made for small puppies in the middle of the room. She had incredible brown eyes that could look at you and get what she wanted.

We were not looking for a dog at this time, I am more of a cat person, but I grew attached to Willow over the years, she was a wonderful dog, half beagle and some kind of terrier. When we had her groomed she looked like the beagle, she never did like to go to the groomers and would spend most of the time barking. My granddaughter was the reason we got Willow, it was after a trip to the shelter with her class and the begging started , her teacher would constantly tell us we needed a dog. So guess what happened, Willow.

When we first got Willow she was sick and we had to take her to the vet, she had some kind of virus, it did not last long. When she would play with you she bit too hard and when corrected she would back off and bark and run at us. Over the years her favorite toy was her stuffed bear, the one she ended up with was the only bear she never tried to chew the stuffing out of. These are the things she like, pig ears from Meijers, bird seed in the yard, cheese, actually any human treat she could beg from us, she was never fond of her dog food, best of all she liked to be scratched.

Willow was a people dog, that is she prided herself on being our official greeter at the door, wagging and barking greetings. When we would take her for a walk she would stop in the drive way of every neighbor that came out and petted and spoke to her, if they did not come out that time she would go her merry way. It was sad to see her slowing down and when diagnosed with congestive heart failure the vet said no more walks, just roaming the yard, she did like that also.

I have to mention that in 1998 Willow saved the family from a house fire. When we first got her we put her in my granddaughters room in a cage until she could get use to running the house and she was not house broken yet. I heard her barking very early in the morning, which was unusual because she did not get us up until around six am. I went upstairs and opened Sarah's door and the room was filled with smoke, I immediately woke everyone and got them up and we all went outside with all the animals, I had already called the fire department. What had caused the fire was a faulty wire in the wall socket, it caught on fire just as the fire department came, not much damage was done to the wall. We called WMUS news and they came and took the story and videoed it and it appeared on the news, we were so proud of her. I feel bad that we did not contact the city and have her receive an accommodation for bravery award. I forgot to mention she loved hot dogs.

Goodbye old friend we will greatly miss you, see you at Rainbow Bridge, we love you.

Mom & Her Five Kittens

The little fur balls are gone from my sisters home forever. They have become adorable, cute, and have developed individual personalities all their own. They are now eight weeks old, eat on their own, and are litter trained. They love to play with each other, jump on your leg and cry when hungry. If you'd like to see pictures of the kittens my son has some of them on his Flickr page here.

The way this happened is my sister (Stella) went to PetCo in Muskegon, Michigan, and it just so happened that it was adoption day. She talked to a lady named Kim who runs a private shelter called Forever Pets. Kim took the mom and the kittens and my sister also donated to her shelter, because it is a good cause and they do a wonderful job.

This is a non profit no-kill private shelter and their pets are in foster homes until adopted. This way they can tell about the animals personality and traits and you can see the pet in friendly surroundings. If any of you bloggers know where Hesperia, Michigan is you can visit them at 4378 E. Arthur Road.

I hope that mom and the kittens get a good home. The mom cat was wild when Stella took her in. She belonged to a man that has too many kittens and cats and she just basically wandered the neighborhood. This creates a problem for the neighbors because all his cats live outdoors. I will miss the little kittens and mom. I was unable to take any of them because of money issues.

Helping Out

I am back from helping my sister Stella., She had a back procedure to fix a vertebra that was cracking . This required ballooning it a little apart and putting bone cement in to fill in the crack. I am sure there is a lot of technical language to all this, but I do not know what it is, all I know it was a success and she is doing better, the pain she was experiencing is gone, she still has some backache but the doctor said it is because she was inactive for a time.

My sister now lives alone, about two years ago her husband had bypass surgery and a week later he had a heart attack, his name was John. Like most of us John did not take good care of himself, especially after he had his first attack in 1985, he still drank too much and his diet was not a healthy one, but thank goodness he had given up smoking. John was a good man but did not listen to his doctor or wife. He was out of the hospital a week, when rushed back, he had several attacks that put him on life support. The doctor told Stella that he was brain dead and probably paralyzed on one side, much decision was made and the children called from all over the country to come and make the decision to take life support away, John died the summer of 2006.

One benefit I had staying over to Stellas for two weeks was her cat had given birth two weeks ago to five kittens. Two were gray and white, two were black with some stripes and the runt was black and white, so I had two weeks to watch them grow.

By the time I went home they were trying to walk, not very steady though, it was fun to watch them waddle. The runt has a black goatee and Stella calls him Mr. Tee. The gray and white kitty has a dot above his right eye, the two black ones eyes were blue but at five weeks they are changing.

At five weeks they are like miniature cats and so full of energy, they run and jump on you and Stella has bought them many play toys and balls to run and catch. It did not take long for all the kittens to become litter trained, at first they tried to eat the litter but not now. Next week they will be taking their first trip to the vet, Stella will be glad to know what sex they are, she has a pretty good guess but wants to be sure. In three weeks she is going to try placing the kittens, that will be a sad time for her, I know she is attached to them all.

The mom cat belongs five houses down from Stella, but always hung around her house to be fed, but would not come to anyone. Jenna, Stellas granddaughter was visiting for two weeks with her mom and brother, she liked the cat and finally got her to come, that is when they discovered she was going to have kittens. The game began to try and get her to come in the house, but success was had, Stella kept her in even though mom was having none of it and tried to get out every chance she could, and did a lot of crying. This cat is like silk and no matter how much she eats is still thin, the reason my sister kept her is the man down the road has too many cats and there is kittens all over his yard. Her name is Meme and she loves to lay in the windows which there is a lot of, and the window sills are also large, I forgot to mention that Meme is black and white with a half black mustash.

I did enjoy my stay with my sister and she told me she was glad to have me help out. I was surprised that Stella was driving in a week and doing a lot for herself, but that is sis, does not really like to ask for help. I went over today and checked on her and the progress of the kittens and found everything is going well, and the kittens has went from roaming the whole house to be limited to the kitchen and laundry room, lots of room. I am glad they are litter trained, it is easier to manage them and they have started eating some foods and drinking milk.

The Elderly

What would be your definition of the old folks? Getting old seems like it takes a long time, until you get there, and you ask yourself "where did the time go"? When we were young and complained to mom I wish I was older, she would say "why are you in such a hurry, you are young such a short time, so don't rush it just have patience. She was right it seems like yesterday I was young and care free, but the years flew by, I know the older folks will agree with me.

I wish I would of kept a record book of my life, then I would know everything I did. The reason for this is when some one mentions something I did or said I could look it up and see if they are right. Aging is not a disease, it occurs differently in each of us. The beginnings of change in the five senses are as follows; in the 50's it is vision, taste late 50's, smell mid 70's, , of course we do not experience these in any noticeable order. Some elderly may not experience any of these changes. I know some older people that can work circles around people younger than they are. What ever changes come most older adults are in pretty good health. Look at the changes in medicine and the life saving devices we have now days, this has increased life expectancy greatly.

Here is a number of ways old age can be defined; 40 years may be discriminated for employment, 55 individuals qualify for subsidized employment and can learn new work skills, 62 you can take early retirement, however with people living longer people born after 1938 can work until age 67 and at age 70 is mandatory retirement in some professions.

Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span.. We have wrinkles or liver spots on the skin, our hair turns grey or white or we can lose our hair. We can lose some or all hearing, loss of reaction, and our ability to think or recall memories. The life expectancy in the United States for women is 80 years and for men it is 77 years. Lets face it we start getting older each at birth. You can visit the Ohio Department of Aging web site here. Please feel free to comment, I would like to know what you think of aging.

The Past in Review

I now wonder if there was ever the good old day's, probably for the young, but grown ups had to face the reality of the day. Hard times come in every era, they are faced and the country moves on with life. We have had our share of wars, famines, floods, earth quakes, financial failures and let us not forget the great depression. This was an awful time, people out of work and on welfare, we made it through and then headed into a war. I was born during this time and my mom told us many times of the hardships they went through, how sometimes they had to steal their meals and did get caught a few times and my Dad had to serve jail time.

The population was not as large then, we had more breathing room. The roads and the automobiles that traveled them were being improved upon. Us that were born in the 1920s -30s-40s know how the cars were being made better each year. My first car a 1949 Ford had real chrome for the front bumpers and the rear bumpers and there was a lot more room inside. Not like the cars of today, small compact and the shift is in between the driver and passenger, I have to admit I did like it when they went to automatic shifting, there is so many styles to choose from now days. People did enjoy buying cars, and they found out that going places was fun and as cars improved so did the speed of the car. In the beginning people bought more Ford cars because they were cheaper.

Movie prices were a lot cheaper, you could go sometimes for a nickel and most often it was a dime. I fell in love with the movies when I was a kid and still like them (most times I rent movies now days). In those early days you could stay and see the movie over and over, you could stay all afternoon if you liked. I did this on Saturdays and to my mothers woe ended up with a bad headache, but this did not stop me, foolish girl. To me movie stars in those days were stars, not like today when they demand millions for making a movie. Movies then made you laugh and cry forgetting your troubles for awhile, the last silent film was made in 1931, the end of an era, but not forgotten, who could forget Clara Bow the "It Girl". Technology that would lead to technicolor pictures was being explored.

Radio in the beginning was called "wireless telegraphy", improvement was on its way and I think it is still going on. It has always disputed who was the one to invent it because many men staked claim they did. When I was a kid we had many favorite programs and when our favorite one was on, if we were outside we headed in. Some of the old ones were I Love A Mystery, Amos and Andy and Fibber Mgee & Molly, for kids there was The Shadow, Green Hornet and a few more, I can't remember them. I can see that old radio set today, I think it was between 3 feet and 4 feet tall, brown color the front had some kind of cloth over the speaker and knobs in front just below where you tuned in you station.

Actually the telephone was being used in the later part of the 1880s, then they were one style. When phones became popular they there were many styles. I remember our phone stood up and the receiver hung on the side of the phone. As the telephone was to become more used, people saw it as a quick way of communication, more people started to use them in office buildings and the rush was on to have a phone in your home. People liked the new styles that were being manufactured, our phone number was just three numbers and we had to go through an telephone operator. We used ours too much when we first got it, so my mother laid down the rules for its use, I have to say when she was not home we called every one of our friends, this did not last long, we had a younger sister that told on us, maybe we should of shared with her. Who could of looked into the future and saw cell phones, the rage of today.

Some of the things that happened along the way to 2008, seems like a life time ago to the "Roaring Twenties" that we grew up in. 1930--saw nylons made, in those days women would kill for them, just a phrase, but the war years saw them not being made 1940s saw the appearance of microwaves and nuclear weapons, which we could of done with out, the proof of this during the second world war when we dropped the atom on Japans two cities, this was an inhuman act. 1950s saw video cassette recorders, pacemakers, digital clocks and computers. 1960s saw laser, computer mouse and video game consoles. 1970s-there was email, mobile phones, personal computers, pocket calculators and DNA thank goodness they can catch more criminals. 1980s-was compact disk, the artificial heart, the internet and DNA finger printing. 1990s-the world wide web, Harry Potter books, the tragedy oh the Oklahoma City bombing, Beanie Babies and fashions were changing. 2000s-mobile phones, cell phones, flat screen TVs and credit cards which have put millions of people in debt up to their eyebrows.

We have come a long way baby and we haven't got there yet. Just think from model A cars to SUVs and vans, different from phones to cell phones, from early vacuum cleaners to robot vacuum cleaners, from Orville Wrights glider to jets breaking the sound barrier, from phonographs to CDs, from Radio to Flat Screen TVs, from horse drawn fire carriers to highly sophisticated fire trucks. I have lived to see all this and I am still amazed at it all, and to think there is more to come, look at us flying all over space and building space labs and satellites that bring in all kinds of communications back to earth. I only touched on the inventions of all the years there is so much invented it wouldfill several books and then some.

The Boys

We have the most adorable Ferrets in the world, they were born on the Marshall Ferret Farm in New York, New York on October 31, 2004. There names are Dusty and Storm, Dusty is a Champagne breed and Storm is a Sable.

Sarah my granddaughter is their owner, she purchased them from PetCo a store at the Lakes Mall, in Muskegon, Michigan. Actually when she brought them home I told her they were too small to be bought yet. PetCo told her that since she had experience with Ferrets they trusted her to do right by them and did not need to return them. Petco at that time did have a lady named Deb that brought her Ferrets in the back room and she would give advice to Ferret owners. Sarah ask Deb what she could do to make sure the little guys made it, her advice was to mix their food with a little water, making it a little mushy, because the Boys were having a hard time eating the hard food. Another piece of advise she gave was to give them baby food, she said turkey with gravy, this combination of wet food with the gravy worked, they did start acting better.

Their medical care is in the hand of veterinarian Sarah Prelesnik at the Prelesnik Animal Hospital, in Grand Haven, Michigan. They go for all their shots, Dusty is a handful to try and give shots, he squirms right out of the vets hands. Storm is a sweet heart at the vets. Right now Storm has a medical problem and is being treated for it. He had to have a implant in his shoulder and is loosing some hair and the vet said he should grow it back in the fall.

They have cute and separate personalities and Sarah has lots of pictures and video tapes to prove it. Dusty is the smallest of the two weighing a little over two pounds. Dusty likes to hide potatoes, pop bottles, balls and any thing he finds that he thinks needs to be hid. This is one spunky ferret he also rolls and flips around when he is tickled, he is so sweet and fun to have around. Dusty also plays and bites his brother, not in a mean way. They never draw blood on one another or us. When it is turkey time he runs around frantic because you do not hurry up. The only time you can cuddle him is when he is tired and sleepy.

Now on the other hand Storm is not hyper like Dusty he is gentle and sweet like a Teddy bear. He did not have such a good start like Dusty, he could not hold his head up so good, like I said Bed was a life saver for him. Storm will play with you only for about a few minutes and runs away he likes to run through his tube with Dusty and play with him on their blanket which is folded in half, they use it like a tunnel running back and forth. Storm also likes to hid pop bottles, he likes certain pieces of our dogs food and bread, both the ferrets like whipped cream. So far Storm is doing okay and I hope that continues to be so. Storm weighs a little over 4 pounds.

Most people think ferrets bite well I think it is the way people handle them, you can't buy them because they are cute they are a big responsibility and remember if you let someone tease them they will bite. Our two guys are so gentle and sweet, they never bite the vet when she handles them either. The ones that they showed on Americas Funniest Videos that bit the people in the face I don't know what made them do it, we put our ferrets up to our face and they just give you a kiss.

So if you are thinking of getting a ferret just remember they are only tame if you mess with them all the time and let them run they need to get out of their cage at least twice a day to stretch their legs. I think a caged animal that is not let run once in a while will turn grumpy, don't you get grumpy if you do not get out once in a while?

Burma Shave—Bygone Days

These signs were born in the late 1920s and lasted until the beginning of the1960s. The highways and cars were different then, most automobile of that time went about 35 miles an hour, which made it easier to read the signs. In the Twenties roads were improving as were the autos, speed was increasing and people started going greater distances.

They used stencils and a brush to coat the signs, a series of six signs were placed a short distance from one another to make them easier to read. The success of the signs was the light hearted humor, they were a joy to read and never offended anyone, except maybe the competition. Reading the signs out loud became a habit and everyone in the car saying them at the same time was fun. I know when we were kids and out in the car we always looked for the Burma Shave signs.

This is the way it worked to get the signs on different locations, they would send out men to cruise the highways watching for ideal spots to put the signs. The spot had to be a stretch of road visible for a considerable distance, no curves just a straight road. Then they would go about working out a deal with whoever owned the land, the land was rented for a year, and usually the people would sign a contract for next year. There were some people that signed for decades.

The Burma-Vita Company was sold to Philip Morris, Inc., the road signs were growing costlier and less effective. The company was using other means of advertising the product, so the road signs were coming to a halt. Some people of today swear they have seen Burma Shave signs, I know I wish I could see them one more time.

Here are a few sayings from those good old signs. DON'T LOSE/YOUR HEAD/TO GAIN A MINUTE/YOU NEED YOUR HEAD/YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT/BURMA SHAVE. SLOW DOWN PA/SAKES ALIVE/MA MISSED SIGNS/FOUR/AND FIVE/BURMA SHAVE.

What a sad time in 1963 when Philip Morris bought Burma Shave, it was a part of American history that is remembered only by the older generation and is missed. If you have a memory of the signs let me know.

Childhood Memories

This is suppose to be the most magical time of our lives, where things are surrounded by mystery, ghosts and goblins abound, where things go bump in the night, and at bedtime there is always something under the bed or in the closet.

I can remember one time when I was about ten, my mom wanted me to go down to the cellar and get some coal. The entrance to our cellar was outside and down about ten steps to the door, that alone was scary, it was like entering a cave of long ago. You had to feel inside the door for a chain and then pull it, it was torture until your hand came in contact with the chain and pulled it. This is not to mention the light added to the eerie shadows that reflected on the walls, it was probably a low watt bulb. I scooped up the coal in the coal bucket, turned off the light and ran back to the house. After that I made sure we had coal in the bucket before dark.

I have many fond memories of my childhood, the one sad thing was the death of my father, he was killed at work, in the steel mill in Pittsburg, Pa., it was October, 1942. I can remember how we always listened to the news broadcasts to see how the war was going, it was World War 2. and they had just announced that America was going to be bombed. I spent most of that night looking out the window for airplanes. My Dad was a good father, but very strict, we loved him for the short time that he was allowed to live on earth.

From birth there are phases of growth, infant, childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Our greatest adult fears were created by childhood memories, even our attitudes, perspectives, expectations and our adult view of life are influenced by childhood memories.

When we were kids it did not take much to make us happy, we were always thinking up games to play, not much time was spent indoors. I don't know about you, but it seems like yesterday we were running and playing, following a favorite creek, pretending it was a river and you may see a ship or two. Pretending when you were a kid is lost in adults, we have lost the ability to enter that magical kingdom again, in a way this is sad. Even so, memories is powerful, I think everyday of adult life is touched by memories of childhood experiences.

Most of us have siblings that share in our childhood memories, if you were close to a brother or sister you are blessed to have had someone to remember some of your happy and sad times. Sharing our memories with others is one of the most generous things we can do. Most of us have photos of our young days, this is a moment captured in time that will live on long after we do not. It is fun to rummage through the pictures of the past and say I don't remember that one, I can't remember looking like that.

Childhood was such a short lived part of our lives. Remember when Mom would say just wait you are little for just a short time and then you are big forever, so lets not rush things. I wish I could tell my mom she was right. So lets say goodbye to being young, many years have passed since those glorious days gone by. If you have a childhood story, I would like to hear it.

Little Duck, Big World

As I have said before I like to metal detect on the beach and I find many different things. One evening about six o'clock I decided to metal detect for a couple hours so I went down by the water to look around and I saw this little baby duck all alone swimming by shore. There were some people laying on their blankets and they told me people were trying to catch the baby all afternoon. I use a french fry basket to scoop the sand up when I am detecting, so I scooped the baby up in it and pushed the opening against my stomach to hold the duck in.

I gave up detecting and went to my car and put the fryer in upside down to keep the baby from going all over my car. I knew of this woman that took in birds and ducks that were hurt or abandoned by their moms. I went home first to show the baby duck to my family. They were surprised and had to hold the baby. I took my grandaughter with me to ask the woman if she would take the baby. To my surprise the women no longer did this. I had to think fast, and come up with a plan of some kind.

I knew the baby duck was exhausted and looked weak. It was getting dark, so I headed back to the beach and went to where I had found the baby before. We started toward the pier looking for a mom duck with babies. Having no luck on the beach I decided when we reached the pier to go on it. We were about twenty feet out on the pier when I noticed the baby getting excited, and making noises, and then I heard a duck quacking. I went toward the sound and saw a female duck and when she saw me she quick jumped back in the water. I looked over the side and I saw she had baby ducks. I told my grandaughter to throw the baby in, she said no it will drown. I told her it will go under and pop right back up and that is exactly what happened - he popped back up and swam right for his mom quacking all the way. I was so happy that I had come looking for his mom, and the happy reunion brought a tear to my eyes and a joy to my heart.

Melody at the Bridge

I hope this article helps those that have lost a beloved pet. This helped me when my cat Melody passed away last August, she was almost 16 years old. This is a well known poem entitled Rainbow Bridge, Author Unknown.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and vigor, those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing, they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent, his eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face, your hands again caress the beloved head and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.

On the Wings of King Arthur!

Once upon a time long ago I found a blue egg broken on the ground after a storm had blown the nest out of the tree, was a new hatched baby Robin, half out of his egg and not moving. I put the nest on a piece of wood I found and pounded it in the ground , I put the nest on top of the wood and went to my yard to see if mom Robin would come back, she did not. I went and retrieve the nest and put it in the house. I really was at a loss as what to do.

Next day I called a man that by coincidence had an article in our news paper the day before on birds. I called him and he said try and feed him worms cut up and if that did not work try hamburg. I then began a routine, I had an old cat carrying case I set up on end, put the heating pad on low, put a towel in and wrapped him up in a small cloth. I went out to our back yard and put some dirt in a coffee can and dug up some worms. I fed him with a pair of tweezers and I cut the worms very small. As soon as I picked him up he had his little mouth open, wanting to be fed, it was hard to get the worm in his mouth just right so he would swallow it.

Eventually he turned from very pink to a dark colored body as he started to grow. I put him in our bedroom window, and a mom Robin had built a nest in the tree where he could see and hear the baby robins make noises when she came back to feed them. I made a nest for him as he started getting bigger. He was doing very well on the worms. When he started getting feathers it looked strange to see how their wings are hollow. I hung his cage outside when he had full feathers. Soon I decided to take him out of his cage outside and to the back yard to watch me dig worms. I thought he would fly away and I was very nervous. he flew up on the garage roof, I talked to him and low and behold he flew down to me.

Every day we did this, I would bury worms by him and he work dig them up, he was like a pet bird, when I walked across the yard he flew on my shoulder, when we set in the glider he came to us. I put water in an old fry pan and he would bath. One night I had a scare, he flew way over to the neighbors tree and would not come back. I usually put him in a cage in the garage to sleep for the night and I would get up a dawn to feed him. I was afraid our neighbor cat would get him, because the cat was at out house every day.

The next morning I got up at dawn and went out to see if he had come back and he was right in our yard. I had a heart pounding decision, if we should let him stay in the yard or release him elsewhere. I called Hoffman Park rangers and ask their advise, they recommend I could release him at the park. The day we decided to do this was a tearful day. We took him to the park and the rangers had recommended a path that was used very little. I was afraid he would come to anyone that walked down the path.

Well, we released him, he flew out and up in a tree, we called to him but he never came back. This release is like seeing someone you have grown very fond of and loved go away forever. We went back a few days later to see if he was still around, no luck. I have tears in my eyes just writing about this. I would like to mention that I did not take one picture of him. Our newspaper did come to the house and take a picture of me holding him, and that is all I have of KING ARTHUR, a very fitting name for a brave little ROBBIN that showed us his courage to survive in this great big world.

Family Pictures

Our wedding reception (July 30, 1959).

Our wedding reception (July 30, 1959).

Expecting our first baby, 1959, this is Charles Wayne, I did not mean to confuse my friends.

Our son Douglas Wayne Cloud, born September 24th., 1960.

Second son Ronald Thomas Cloud, born June 10th., 1963.

My mom and dad, 1942, taken summer before dad was killed in October, 1942.

Our dog Spotty and Grandpa William Applegate 1944, he passed away the next year 1945.

My Grandma Mary Elizabeth Crawford, and boyfriend, this is before she met Grandpa.

My 1953 Pontiac and me, also at work, check out the old typewriter.

Scottie and me, we were in a Minstrel Show 1956, it was a lot of fun, I am the tall one.

Our bowling team, 1957 Christmas party, Ruth is the highest one in the back.

1939 family photo, my mom had to hold on to me, I did not want my picture taken.

1940 picture taken with Uncle Floyd, I am on his right.

This is Beauty, I took her from a house by school, when she was 6 weeks old.

Me with Doug. & Ron, 1970, Ron was just in a parade with his Boy Scout troupe.

This is Melody in 1998, she had put on a few pounds, she went to the Bridge at age 16 years old.

Jake, my best friend, 1982, when we moved to town he was hit by car, he was 11 years old.

2007, Willow, my best friend, went to the bridge in 2007, age ii years.

1940, Margaret (on left) and my sister June, at Thompson Park

1974, Doug (on left) 16 yrs. and 1979, Ron and he is 16years, my clowms.

1957, my friend Ruth, Stan and Bruce, her family.

1952, Marge Nedeau and children, I babysit for her.

1940, Margaret (on left) age 7 years, 1918, my mom, we are same age.

My mom and two cousins, my Grandma Applegates brother & sisters.

My Aunt Anna & friend, and Aunt Lotties girl Louise.

Waynes dad Clifford and friend, and his mother LaVerna.

On Berg Road--Jim Ryan, my sisters Stella and June, having fun.

On Berg Road again, top, Jim & Margaret, bottom Billy & Stella.

Top left, my mom and a friend, Aunt Anna & Louise, bottom from the left Aunt Anna, Aunt Lotties children, in front Russellittle Marie, back is Louise holding Kate, these are cousins.

1940, big guy is cousin Hunter, starting left, Margaret, Stella, June and cousin Joyce.

1938, cousins Kate & Florence Ann and their mom & dad, Aunt Lottie & Uncle Harold, my aunt had ten children, and they are in the pictures above, she had two children that died of diptheria.

Margaret trying to look good.

Wayne, loves to practice, looking good.

Ron, could make a good golfer someday.

Doug, always has good form, he hit the ball farther then anyone that day.