As I was enjoying a mid-afternoon nap, I felt a warm tropical wind on my face, almost hot, pulsing against my face. My mind began to drift off to Hawaii.
The times I have vacationed on the beaches of this tropical paradise, and then I noticed an odor. I could not identify the smell as I retained my focus on the beach. Then I visualized a large dead whale floating in from the sea.
The odor became stronger and stronger, rolling in, pulsing again and again. I began to wake up due to the smell that brought me back to consciousness. As I opened my eyes, I could still feel the pulsing wind, and the order was evident.
Fully awake, I looked up at my dog Charlie Boy, with his paws on my “Comfy Chair” and his head a few inches away from my head, and he was panting in my face! So much for a tropical breeze.
I petted him and slowly moved him away so I could stand up. I looked at the clock, and sure enough, it was that magical time: “Dinner Time!”
The sound of those words elicits a burst of energy, happiness, and drooling that makes everyone take notice. You don’t want to stand between my dogs and their bowl, OSHA rules in my house. They happily engulf the food, wagging tails, happiness in a bowl, kind of like me with a hot fudge Sunday! As I turned to go back into the family room, I was alerted to another crisis, my cat was hungry!
When Kitty is ready to eat, she begins to meow loudly, constantly, and obnoxiously until her bowl is filled with the smelly yucky food she loves. The wife was out with her girlfriends, and I was on my own for dinner. I opened the refrigerator, and my mind immediately shifted to when we had guinea pigs.
When you open the fridge door for any reason, lovable Guinea pigs begin squealing at the top of their lungs in the hopes that you will bring them some lettuce or a carrot. The noise is quite impressive and will entertain guests, especially if they have indulged in an adult beverage.
I thought back at all the pets I have had in my life, white rats, gerbils, hamsters, fish, horses, birds, and began to realize that I have spent a significant amount of my time feeding, cleaning, petting, and just spending time with my pets. For those that have had an aquarium, it takes a lot more than placing a few flakes of fish food in the water. Balancing the chemicals, taking out a third of the water weekly and replacing it with fresh water. Cleaning the algae off the tank. I had a turtle when I was very young; like the fish, he was quiet.
The realization that my pets have taken a lot of time and care is minimized by the amount of joy, fun, exercise, and peaceful moments that I have spent with them. Pets add life to a home. They can add love, companionship and enhance one’s life. Yep, they can be a lot of work, but in my opinion, they are worth all of that and more.
“Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others. – © Joel M. Vernier 06/21/2021 Author of: “The Guinea Pig In The Freezer.” joelmvernier@aol.com.
