Tribute

The man loved animals.
His daughter did too.
She drew him pictures and he hung them on the wall.
The dad used to tell his daughter tales about animals and all the things they did.
He made her love them even more.

How a turkey had spooked a pony right in to a pond.
How a parrot had picked up swearing from painters.
How a horse had let out all the other horses in a barn.
How a camel had gotten mad and spit on him.
How an elephant took a cap off a boy's head and smacked him with it.

He clipped and gave his daughter articles and pictures of animals and all the things they did.
The last one he gave her, before he died, was of a baby mountain goat standing on its mother's back.
Thanks Dad!
I finally painted this one for you.

Zebras

He let me have a rooster.
He let me have a hen.

He let me have a turkey.
And he let me have a duck.

He let me have a goat.
He let me have a sheep
He let me have a pig.
He let me have a donkey.
He let me have a cow.
He let me have a pony.
And he let me have a dog.

When I asked about a zebra he took me to the zoo*.

Thanks Dad, boy did I love you!

* I am not a fan of zoos but I thank my Dad for encouraging me to love animals in all the ways he did.

My Dad