I have been fascinated with animals since elementary school days, when I would stuff my lunch box with leopard frogs from the nearby spring. My mother was not amused. Nonetheless, I was handy in the neighborhood, known as the one who could reliably fish garter snakes out of garden beds. During the COVID pandemic I fostered pregnant guinea pigs for a local rescue. I can watch a hummingbird moth for hours as it flits among my flowers. What is the difference between a critter and my other animals? I suppose that when a friend asks “Why are you playing with THAT?”, it’s a good indication that it is a non-traditional playmate.
