This week’s challenge from GeneaBloggers: Pets. Did you have any pets as a child? If so, what types and what were their names. Do you have pets now? Describe them as well.
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| Pennsylvania Vacation with Snoopy & Queenie |
My brothers and I grew up in a small country town where we had many pets over the years including cats, dogs, Mr. Wizard the Lizard, fish, birds, a hamster and horses. They were all very much a part of our family and brought fun and laughter to all of us. We had a kitten that ran up the Christmas tree to play with the ornaments and when my brother went after the kitten the tree fell over. There were times the horses escaped from their field and we had to grab buckets of feed to lure them back again.
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| 1969 Florida vacation |
When we took family vacations our pets often went along too. We had a big blue van that pulled a camper. We would pack it up for trips to Virginia or Florida or other fun spots. My brothers and I would pack our clothes, books, maps and animals. The hamster and the dogs rode along with us. The first night out we learned to take the hamster’s wheel out of its cage at night or that squeaky wheel would keep us all awake.
Our dogs loved to ride along in the old van with us. They liked running along the beaches in Florida, the battlefields in Pennsylvania and the rolling hills in Virginia. They were always good in the car as we rode along although Snoopy would sometimes bark when we left them to take a tour. Occasional stops at a car wash were important to vacuum out the dog fur. Having Snoopy & Queenie with us made the trips extra fun.
We have pets today but we leave them at home when we vacation. I don't think our cats would enjoy strange new places.
I'm the oldest of seven. I recall one trip to northern Wisconsin where seating was tight. We packed up our Ford Econoline van with our nine, Grandma and our collie Shadow. She was a wonderful dog, but if she got nervous, she would piddle. Dad packed all the bags in the back and placed a piece of plywood down over them. My sister and I chose the human projectile spot and spread out with blankets and pillows. After one rest stop Shadow beat my brothers to their seat. She couldn't be coaxed out and we were afraid to upset her. So my brothers sat on the floor for the rest of the trip.
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