By Linda Wilken, Oregon
I’d been a cat person from the get-go. I just came into this life totally relating to and loving cats. It wasn’t that I didn’t like dogs; it was just that I felt deeply and totally comfortable in the world of cats. By contrast, dogs—while likable—just seemed to have come from a completely different planet.
By Elyce E. Singleton, New Jersey
I was driving to work and spied a little bird on the dividing line between lanes. Concerned for its safety, I quickly doubled back to the spot.
By Deborah Paris, Western Australia
When Jason and I got married I had five cats, all from rescue homes, all pure white. Unfortunately my husband had allergies which meant that certain rooms were out of bounds for my furry friends.
By Sibylle Saunders, Vermont
My husband Tom and I went hiking on a beautiful Vermont fall day. We made the decision to hike to a nearby pond where we heard a number of birds. We didn’t recognize one of the bird sounds from across the pond. The bird got closer and closer. Was it a cardinal? A warbler?
By Patrick Dongvillo, Oregon
I was driving home on a stormy night, when my headlights suddenly outlined a solitary goose standing in the farm’s driveway. This goose shouldn’t be here. It’s supposed to be in the barn, I thought. With the safety of the farm, domestic geese never really learn to fly; they just become fat and happy. So this lone goose would likely be a sitting duck for some hungry coyote.
By Jamie Obakponovwe, Minnesota
While settling into the rhythm of a new job and home, my husband and I adopted two kittens who were sisters, Wilma and Luisa. Instantly they brightened our lives and gave us constant, unconditional love—each in her own special way.