with a 'Meow-Meow' here & a 'Neigh-Neigh' there

I'm not a pet person. When I was growing up, we almost always had a dog, and I had several bad and uncomfortable experiences with them. So, even though my boys constantly ask and beg, we will never have a dog.

But, we do have a cat. We used to have two cats, but one of them disappeared the winter before last. It happens on ranches--small pets disappear. They're either taken by coyotes or other wild animals or ran over by trucks or farm equipment. Our cat, Sugar, has been with us many years. She's beginning to age, I can tell. Even though I'm allergic to cats, I rather like Sugar and I will be sad when she's gone. Grandma has two cats, and for the past couple of years, her cats have been hanging around our home more than our cat was (I don't like Grandma's cats, and neither does Sugar). But, Sugar's been hanging around a lot more this summer, and I'm glad to see her face and the kids like feeding her. She's an outside cat, and she catches lots of mice! She likes to go on walks with our family and she likes napping by us when we're playing outside. Did I already mention that I'm rather fond of her?!! We also have two horses. Josh is the horse-lover in our family. He's had QT since he was a teenager. She has foaled many times, and always creates beautiful offspring. She is a little older, but she is nice and tame and smart. The kids especially have loved riding her this summer.

Her last foal, Mia, is now over 2 years old and Josh started trying to teach her this summer how to be ridden. She looks so much like her mother, but she's got a wild streak in her!Our two horses pasture with the neighbor's two brown horses, and they've all become good friends. Their youngest female horse is named Bella. Bella and Mia do everything together. Their older male horse is named Topper or Copper--I can't remember which, so I just call him Dorkus (I don't really like him). Whenever we catch the horses to ride, it's QT and Dorkus that get to be saddled up.The boys rode the horses more this summer than they ever have before. They enjoyed taking them for strolls around the yard and around the ranch. And even though I'm not fond of horses (because of another bad experience), I'm glad my boys are taking after their father's love for them.