Happy
birthday today to my mother Nancy and to my greyhound Mr. Spock! Mother might not want me to tell the world
how old she is, but I’m excited that Mr. Spock is 10. That’s a pretty big milestone for a
greyhound! It’s appropriate to honor both
of them during this month highlighting Bat Conservation International (BCI) because
my mother is a Batte, and Mr. Spock’s ears stick up like a bat’s.
Mother likes having the same birthday as Mr. Spock. In fact, one year she even got Mr. Spock a birthday card. Well, technically, it was “from” Mother’s dog, a poodle named Peaches. Before I tell you more about the card, let me explain Mother’s reasoning about family relationships. Peaches is her dog, which makes him her “son” and, therefore, my “brother.” Mr. Spock is my dog, which makes him my “son” and, therefore, Peaches’s “nephew.” So, Mr. Spock received this very cute Snoopy card from “Uncle Peaches.” I told Mother that it sounds like Mr. Spock’s pimp uncle!
By the way, I’ve never been exactly comfortable will the whole notion of referring to pets as one’s “children.” “Fur kids” is just as bad – worse, really. Such labels are demeaning…to the animals. A few months ago a friend sent me a funny cartoon with a term that describes perfectly my relationship to Mr. Spock, my other dogs, and (I hope) all animals: Beast Friend.
Suppose you just can’t figure out what to get your mother, uncle, Beast Friend, etc. for his/her birthday or other occasion. Why not adopt a bat from BCI? The recipient will get a plush stuffed bat toy (choose between the Eastern Red Bat and the Sulawesi Fruit Bat), an official adoption certificate, and complete species profile information about the bat of your choice. The $25 adoption fee goes toward BCI’s research, conservation, and education work. Even better, for just $50 your recipient can adopt a bat plus become a BCI member (totally cool!). http://www.batcon.org/index.php/support-bci/adopt-a-bat.html
Some years ago I got Adopt-a-Bats for Mother and my Aunt Betty (the one I’m named for) for Christmas. Aunt Betty is Mother’s sister, and so of course, she’s a Batte, too. And naturally, I had to get an Adopt-a-Bat for myself as well. Back then you got a photograph of a bat rather than a plush toy. I selected a Chapin’s free-tailed bat for myself and named him Frank in honor of my grandfather Frank Batte. I was a little concerned that Mother and Aunt Betty might think this was disrespectful, which of course was not my intent at all. However, Mother got a big kick out of it. Then, when I told Aunt Betty about Frank, she laughed and said that she had named her bat Nancy Sue after my mother!
Mother likes having the same birthday as Mr. Spock. In fact, one year she even got Mr. Spock a birthday card. Well, technically, it was “from” Mother’s dog, a poodle named Peaches. Before I tell you more about the card, let me explain Mother’s reasoning about family relationships. Peaches is her dog, which makes him her “son” and, therefore, my “brother.” Mr. Spock is my dog, which makes him my “son” and, therefore, Peaches’s “nephew.” So, Mr. Spock received this very cute Snoopy card from “Uncle Peaches.” I told Mother that it sounds like Mr. Spock’s pimp uncle!
By the way, I’ve never been exactly comfortable will the whole notion of referring to pets as one’s “children.” “Fur kids” is just as bad – worse, really. Such labels are demeaning…to the animals. A few months ago a friend sent me a funny cartoon with a term that describes perfectly my relationship to Mr. Spock, my other dogs, and (I hope) all animals: Beast Friend.
Suppose you just can’t figure out what to get your mother, uncle, Beast Friend, etc. for his/her birthday or other occasion. Why not adopt a bat from BCI? The recipient will get a plush stuffed bat toy (choose between the Eastern Red Bat and the Sulawesi Fruit Bat), an official adoption certificate, and complete species profile information about the bat of your choice. The $25 adoption fee goes toward BCI’s research, conservation, and education work. Even better, for just $50 your recipient can adopt a bat plus become a BCI member (totally cool!). http://www.batcon.org/index.php/support-bci/adopt-a-bat.html
Some years ago I got Adopt-a-Bats for Mother and my Aunt Betty (the one I’m named for) for Christmas. Aunt Betty is Mother’s sister, and so of course, she’s a Batte, too. And naturally, I had to get an Adopt-a-Bat for myself as well. Back then you got a photograph of a bat rather than a plush toy. I selected a Chapin’s free-tailed bat for myself and named him Frank in honor of my grandfather Frank Batte. I was a little concerned that Mother and Aunt Betty might think this was disrespectful, which of course was not my intent at all. However, Mother got a big kick out of it. Then, when I told Aunt Betty about Frank, she laughed and said that she had named her bat Nancy Sue after my mother!
Nancy Batte
Mr. Spock with his bat ears
Frank Batte
Frank Bat
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