Afterthoughts

Dan      In 1964, our family opened our home to a bird dog puppy named Dan.  Little did we realize he would soon be joined by another creature.  That summer my husband went hunting with his cousin.  When he came home he handed me a surprise.  Wrapped in an old shirt two scared eyes stared back at me.  That is how I met Sam the raccoon.  As Sam grew and no longer needed special attention, we gave him the run of the place.  He slept in our out buildings during the day.  Even so, he always took time to play with Dan and my children.              Dan and Sam became best friends and came up with special ways to play. What they played most caused Dan's ears to get huge calluses on them.  Dan would lay on his back while Sam took a running leap at him.  He landed on top of Dan grabbing his ears with his teeth.  After which, Dan took his paws and threw Sam as far as he could.  Over and over they played their game.      When the first cold spell came along, Sam left for a few days.  He came