An Artsy Essay for September

Daniel, the old well-loved patriarch that he is, rests on a special pillow in a quiet place in the corner. From his vantage point, he can observe and silently approve the going-ons within his small kingdom. His mate, Patsy, is close by and while she too is getting on in years, she can still kick up a heel or two if circumstances demand it. Biff and Baxter are very snuggly and affectionately referred to as "the surfin' dudes". Buffy lingers adoringly in the background never too far from her Biff. Nothing makes them happier than surfin' the waves, hitting the beach to catch some rays, snackin' on burgers and fries and listening to The Beach Boys. Rocky and Natasha are of a more serious bent. They actually go to work and earn their keep. Rocky, a cocky Italian from Brooklyn diligently goes to work each morning to rid his place of employment from leopards and fierce mountain lions or any such creatures that might be lurking about. Natasha, a small black-furred beauty of Russian descent, patrols the perimeters in the nighttime; she's so dark that she's sure no one can see her as she goes about her business. Each night Rocky returns home to his Angel, a slightly fiesty little female from Flushink! Natasha continues her vigilent guard about the house upon her return for work.

Meanwhile, on the home front, a couple of mothers and their small babes keep each other company and an eye on whoever else happens to be around. Diana and little Noel snuggle quietly on their section of the comforter. Emily and her little one, Susannah, whose first name is Oh!, are interested in everyone and everything. They could be anywhere about the place. Always up for a bit of sport and mischief are Reggie and Casey, fine English-bred creatures that they are. Quite genteel are these two, extrordinarily polite and somewhat snobbish in their uppercrust attitude. Tatania, a throwback to the old Communist ways, can usually be found preparing to deliver some sort of political bombast for a meeting in the town square--she insists on referring to it as Red Square!

Emmett and Katie hail from the old country and often regale the group with an Irish folk song, dance or both. They've been known to hit the whiskey bottle or down a Guinness or two when the urge hits them. Bear, who isn't a bear at all, is quietly stoic and provides comfort and warmth on a cold winter night. "Doc" is a smooth-talking southern gentlemen whose accent brings magnolias and mint juleps tomind. He is a most charming fellow. And over there, across the room, is wee Douglas. A sturdy little Scottish fellow is he, fond of reciting the poetry of Bobby Burns while sipping upon a smooth, peaty scotch, neat. Elsewhere in the room is Pretty Perry. She is writing furiously, trying to meet the deadline of her weekly column which appears in a local newspaper. Its title is "If You Would Be Beautiful...". She never seems to run out of ideas. Amazing. Close by is Trill. Sociable, beautiful Trill. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer but so exuberant and such a pleasure to look upon, her lack of brilliance doesn't seem to matter.

Scamp looks out over the living room from his perch atop the DVD player. He is "very river" and only he knows exactly what that means. Cagney and Suzy-Q spend their time in fond recall of the days of bathtub gin and speakeasies. They're rough and tough on the outside but actually cream puffs once you get to know them better. Opie speaks in soft tones, always, so as not to scare away everybody. His growl is truly frightening and he tries to keep it under control. Little Holly's energy level and exhilaration of the pure joy of living is exhausting at times. It is her untiring efforts that keep everything clean and dust-free. If there's one thing she will not, cannot tolerate, it's dust! Last, but certainly not least, is Mistletoe who has taken on the title and duties of "the Mother" to this assortment of creatures. She'll mother just about anything and keeps everyone in line when necessary.

And just who are all these assorted characters? They are some of the inhabitants of our personal, make-believe world of otters who live with us, help keep our bed warm and provide us with much amusement. Furry, adorable, appealing little animals. This is how I perceive otters. I've never seen one alive in the wild; only a pair of river otters in captivity at the San Francisco Zoo. Sea otters, while extremely cute too, seem to be better known but the river otter is my absolute favorite and the animal I would choose to be if given the opportunity.

 

 http://www.stockpix.com/ro.htm

If I had property with a body of water on it, the time and most definitely the money, I would love to share my life with a river otter or two. My awareness and affection for these playful, engaging creatures began twenty-seven years ago on Christmas when I was pregnant with my first child. Coincidentally, my husband and I presented each other with a stuffed otter as a gift without knowing each other's intentions. I topped his stocking with a small sea otter and he gave me a lovely, brown river otter with great whiskers and a jaunty smile. I fell in love instantly and from that moment our stuffed menagerie began to grow. I started reading about otters; finding out where they live and what they do. They are inquisitive, social animals. An important part of an otter's day is to simply play for the sheer joy of doing so; be it in the water or sliding down snowy, icey paths in the winter. They play not to assert dominance but merely because it's fun. Play is an essential, integral part of an intelligent person's day; ergo, this small aquatic mammal must be intelligent.

As the years went by, our collection of stuffed otters began to grow. We couldn't pass a toy store, the toy section of a department store or a nature-themed store without going in and checking to see if there was an otter to "save". It became one of our missions in life; to save a stuffed otter from the lonely life of sitting on a dusty shelf in a toy store. I believe this is when my husband became a "stuffed-animal rights activist" and I his diligent disciple What fun we've had with these stuffed representations of the real thing. Each one develops a distinct personality, is properly named and never fails to fit in seamlessly with the rest of the gang. Our house has become an otter haven and over the years I've even come to depend on them for warmth and comfort. We have soft, plushy otters to cuddle when sad, feeling a bit under the weather or simply in want of a soft, nonjudgmental pal. We have large otters that work well as "back warmers" when the nights grow cold. According to my most recent count, I believe we have around 35 otters in residence. They are the perfect pets in that they have the wonderful quality of being there when needed and are none the worse when neglected. Existence as one of our beloved stuffed otters is what I would choose in a surrealistic world.

 

 

This is my secret world; this essay is my entry for Judith HeartSong's

September's anniversary edition of the Artsy Essay Contest which can be found here:  http://journals.aol.com/judithheartsong/newbeginning/entries/1556