Snakes, butterflies, voles

... Mary found this butterfly, hurt today ...

Mary loves animals.

She has always loved animals.

When she was six and I would take her any place she wanted to go, it was to the pet store at the North Hill Shopping Centre.

When we would go into the store, the animal smells would be overwhelming to me. I grew up in a house where we had no animals inside. 

My dad’s hunting dogs (either cocker spaniels or pointers) stayed in the dog pen at the back of the yard.

Even in 40 below weather.

... Mary found the vole Moiya's new kitty stalked today ...
... Mary gave it a nice resting place in the bushes ..

He had bales of hay in there and assured me that they would be warm – that the dogs were built to stay outside.

But now I was raising a little girl who loved animals. She would put her hand in mine and then wander up and down the isles of the store.

That was the only part of the store I liked: her hand in mine.
Animals always looked liked work to me.

... Mary woke me from my nap to show me this find ...

Another mouth to feed. Another being to clean up after.

Then have to go on holidays or go to an kennel to be cared for if a family is so lucky as to go on holidays.

Just one more step of tracking care of another being.

Still, I was torn.

This little girl who only wanted to go to the pet store for an outing.

Arta