Earliest memories

My earliest memories nearly all involve animals and that affinity has never diminished. Growing up on a ranch, I was surrounded by animals and as an only child, most of my playmates were animals. My first dog was an Australian Shepherd who would play "hide and seek" with me, though I don't remember ever figuring out why she always found me!

The first snapshot I remember in the family photo album was of me sitting on my mother's cowpony, complete with a pink bonnet, when I was about 18 months old. When we moved to the ranch when I was 5 years old, that was the mare I learned to ride on. When we were temporarily living on another farm and my grandparents retired from the ranch, it was that same mare's daughter that went on with my riding education, a tutor that instructed me from the age of 10 until I was in my early teens.

There were dogs, cats, chickens, horses, cattle, pigs, one pet goat ... a baby magpie that fell out of a nest and was hand-raised ... and I spent hours riding and looking for hawk nests, hoping to figure out how to "catch" a young hawk to raise.

During the long Montana winters when outside time had to be kept to a minimum, I learned early in life that whining "I'm bored!" resulted in work being found, usually things like washing dishes or cupboards or dusting. It didn't take me long to realize that if I was reading a book, that was considered "educational" and with a great-uncle that was an artist, if I was busy "drawing" that was considered important as well. The books I read were usually about horses or dogs ... and my first artwork generally featured one of my animals but it helped establish a lifetime of good reading habits and provided the basis of a part-time art career.

Of course, some things change in 60 years. My reading preferences have expanded to include mystery and science fiction/fantasy ... and my favorite mysteries are the racehorse mysteries by Dick Francis. My artwork is still primarily focused on animals and though it has expanded to include old buildings and still life studies, old barns and horse drawn equipment tend to be featured prominently.

I am still surrounded by animals and they are still providing me with new experiences but during the long evenings in front of the wood stove, it is comforting to remember all of the faithful companions that have enriched my life.