Elk, Puppies, Small Children and Other Things I Want to Cuddle With

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but I have a really strong mother instinct. One of my friends and I talk all the time about how we just wish we could have babies now, while we're young and our bodies will recover quickly, freeze them, and then raise them in 10 or so years. Of course both of us know that this is impossible and we'd be terrible mothers at this point in our lives, but that doesn't keep me from wanting a small child every time I see a particularly adorable one.

In Whitesburg, this has translated into me attempting to befriend all 5,000 stray cats in town. I had a good feline buddy who lived by the bridge, but he was far too elusive for me. So far the most luck of the feline variety has been with a massive Maine Coon cat named Blue Daldon, who I am enamored with, even though, as my roommate likes to remind me, he attacks me.

Lately, I've turned my thoughts to dogs. After meeting a particularly well-behaved puppy, I remembered that not all dogs are obnoxious and stupid, and now with a mere "Hey dawg," I can make canine friends.

I think what this all boils down to is that I need something to cuddle with to be a healthy happy human being. Preferably something small and fuzzy that doesn't talk.

Speaking of fuzzy and silent, there are elks in Kentucky! Yes, elks! I think...

Apparently on top of a "reclaimed" strip job, there is an elk preserve. These elks just kind of chill up there on top of a mountain. Of course the idea that by introducing one species to a grassy area to "reclaim" an eco-system is pretty ridiculous, as are elks, who have no natural predators in this area any more ever since the wolves have gone.

I'm not actually sure I believe that there are elks in Kentucky. I saw a huge, deer-like foot print on a hike, and I spent a lot of time talking to a biologist who does things with large animal control (bears and ELK!!!!) about elk in Kentucky. Plus there's that weird deer crossing sign that looks like a cross between a buck, a moose, and a Brahmin bull. But I still sort of think that people are pulling my leg about it, sort of like snipe hunting. I won't believe it until I see it.

This weekend I went to the Morehead Fiddler's Convention. It was relaxing, inspiring, and a lot of fun. I got to spend a lot of time with people from Whitesburg, a lot of time by myself, and a lot of time with a few other Kentucky musicians. I didn't get much sleep, saw two shooting stars, square danced until I was sore, learned to waltz, and got a bass blister. All in all a good time. Something about going to a small festival where you don't really know anyone is strangely relaxing. I was content to just wander around by myself and listen. If I was with someone else, that was great too, but I spent a lot of time just soaking it all in, and I'm grateful for it.

Here is my gripe of the day. I just found out that some Oberlin students are going to be at Clifftop. Normally I would be thrilled to see these particular people, but despite the thousands of people in attendance, I just have this idea that Clifftop is MY thing. And I don't want to share, especially since I've been having a lot of negative thoughts about Oberlin lately. Sometimes I really am 6 years old again.

But I'm getting pretty good at dealing with these things. I didn't want to go to Morehead because I thought it would wear me out. I didn't want to go home for the summer because I would miss my friends. I didn't want to go back to school last February because I wanted to stay in Whitesburg. I didn't want to go to Whitesburg because I didn't want to be lonely.

But I did all those things, sucked it up, and even though the outcomes of doing all of these things that I didn't want to do were mixed (I honestly wish I hadn't gone back to school last semester...), they happened and I learned from the experience. My wise boss told me that if something doesn't make you nervous then it probably isn't worth doing (although now that I think about it, that only applies to things like going to college and interviewing people, and not things like jumping off of tall objects or having unprotected sex). And I think the nervous I'm feeling about Clifftop will make going this year more important than other years. Maybe I'll see an elk or something.