So are you ready for the Cow Blankie
story? I had to take a picture of the blankie with Molly our
Chihuahua because I think it's funny how she blends into the blankie.
Not to mention, although she is #1's dog she has been a constant
companion of mine since I started with the Fibromyalgia crap. (no #1
didn't take her when she moved, she couldn't, and if she could Molly
would be lost without most of the gang; and we love the little rat!)
First a little background info:
My dad grew up in the Bronx (b. 1919),
and when he and my mom married, they moved out to the Island, Long
Island, which is where I grew up. Dad's
dream was to retire in the country, and about 38 years ago, he
finally found the piece of country he had been searching for. He
found his little piece of heaven in a little town called Stephentown,
NY. While he was having the house built, we would go “upstate”
on weekends from spring to fall and stay at The Broken Wheel
Campground (www.BrokenWheelCampground) a few towns up in Petersburg,
NY. It was a fun place with lots to do, and over the several years
we camped there, I (we) made many good friends. One of those
friends, Karen, and her family, actually went to the school I was
going to be going to. The summer before I started my Junior year, we
officially moved into the house, and Karen's mom thought it would be
a good idea if Karen introduced me to one of her friends who would be
on my bus, so I know someone my first day of school. The person she
introduced me to became one of my bestest friends; her name is
Colleen. We've been friends for 34 years (she hates when I put a
number on it, but I think it is so cool!)
Now, keep in mind, I grew up on Long
Island, a suburb. Paved roads,
neighbors less than an acre away, you didn't know everyone in the
town, there was a McDonalds, people had dogs and cats (a few people
had horses); I played curb ball, flipped baseball cards, kickball in
the street and road my bike through many different neighborhoods
(yes, come to think of it we had neighborhoods!) This was all I knew
for 16 years of my life. Our new house was settled on 7 acres of
“farm land” at the base of a mountain; the view was magnificent.
We did have neighbors, but there was quite a bit of distance between
the houses. About a mile up the road, one of the locals raised pigs,
and sometimes you'd have to wait for the pigs to cross the road
before you could continue on the road. As a matter of fact, a lot of
the families in these neighboring towns had farms or animals they
raised for their own food.
Colleen
lived on a dirt road that connected to two main “routes”. The
street was named after her family – imagine that; cool thing #1 in
my mind! Cool thing #2 was on her property she had cows, a lot of
them, and a little pony named Suzie. This was so far from the land
where I grew up. I thought it was amazing; it was a whole different
way of living, and I was mesmerized by all of it.
It
didn't take long for me and Colleen to become good friends. We
talked the whole way to school, had lunch together, stayed after
school for sports, went to eachother's lockers, and all the fun stuff
that goes along with being a teen girl. It was during one of those
“at your locker” conversations that I popped the question. Mid
stream through a whole different conversation, I very seriously asked
her “Is it fun owning cows? I was dead serious! What was it like?
I mean, not that cows do anything, you don't let them come into your
house like a dog or cat, but really, what was it like? Do I have to
tell you that she BURST INTO LAUGHTER. Well she did. She thought it
was the funniest thing, something that she took for granted, that she
lived with everyday of her life, I found very intriguing. And so it
goes, and so it goes, we have a thing for cows. I can never find
anything “unique”, and don't want to just get her any ole' cow,
and she seems to find the coolest stuff like the cow salt and pepper
shakers she gave me, the cow card she sent me, and of course, my cow
blankie that she made me (could it be the fact that she grew up with
them in her back yard?). She told me that every time I'm using it, I
can think of her and her son giving me a hug. And believe me, I do!
One last thing I'd like to add: She's my little Sis! She never had
an older sister, and I never had a younger sister, so we decided many
years ago to become sisters. She's the one person I can tell
everything to, the one I can cry to, the one who's always there to
support me no matter what life throws me. I Love her!
