She cancelled her online date to take me
to Hakone Gardens on Fourth of July—
He asks her, wonders whether I'm her pet.

Hakone Gardens Gift Shop near the Entrance	Karen by Bamboo Gate Near the Main Gate	Kasuga Lantern across Koi Pond Hakone Gardens, Saratoga
The walk around Hakone Gardens was beautiful and wonderful. Took 73 photos and could have easily written a poem on the sights seen there. However, when Karen asked "Are you my pet?", this poem poured out to my surprise instead. Photo Sources: Hakone Garden Gift Shop, Karen by Bamboo Gate, Kasuga Lantern across Koi Pond (wisdomportal.com)

My friend Rudy calls me Peter Rabbit, but Poet-Laureate Kay Ryan tells me— "You're not a rabbit—You're Peter the Rock." Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter Kay Ryan U.S. Poet Laureate (2008-2010) Saint Peter (1 AD-68 AD) Rudy always address me as "Dr. Peter Rabbit" in his emails as well as in person. January 27, 2010 was Kay Ryan's first class of Stanford's English 192V "The Occasions of Poetry". She asked us to introduce ourselves and think of some mnemonic device to remember the names. When the student next to me said her name is Lucia, I thought of Lucia, the Patron Saint of Florence who carried Dante up Mt. Purgatory while he was dreaming of Jupiter snatching Ganymede up Mount Olympus to be his cup-bearer (Purgatorio, 9.19-63). When it was my turn, I tell Kay "You can call me Peter Rabbit", but Kay says "You're not a rabbit— You're Peter the Rock." Ever since the U.S. Poet Laureate gave me that title, I've tried to live up to that expectation. Photo Sources: Peter Rabbit (target.com); Kay Ryan (wisdomportal.com); Saint Peter (kuulpeeps.com) With asthma, allergic to cats and dogs, we had no pets at home except a goldfish and my sister's parakeet named "Birdie". U,S. #5110 Goldfish & U.S. #5111 Kitten (issued 8-2-2016) U.S. #5124 Parakeets & U.S. #5125 Dog (issued 8-2-2016) I had asthma from 1946-1955, and was allergic to cats, dogs, chicken feathers, and dust. So we had no pets at home. Mom was afraid of dogs, since she was bitten by a neighborhood dog as a child. Dad was too busy with his scholarly pursuits to care about pets. We just had a goldfish and parakeet at home. My asthma went away in Junior High School, when I was busy studying, and never came back. Photo Sources: U.S. 5110 & #5111 (amazon.com); U.S. 5124 & #5125(amazon.com) U.S. issued a booklet of twenty pets— but my favorite is Britain's "Peter Rabbit" and a "Koala Bear" stamp from Australia. U.S. #5106-5125 (issued 8-2-2016) Great Britain #3586 (issued 7-28-2016) Australia #171 (issued 10-10-1942 USPS announced issuing a booklet of 20 Pets stamps on August 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. These stamps celebrate the animals in our lives that bring us joy, companionship, and love. The stamp art features existing photographs of different animals taken against white backgrounds. Each photograph represents animals from these groups: puppies, betta fish, iguanas, hamsters, goldfish, parrots, guinea pigs, tortoises, rabbits, kittens, corn snakes, mice, hermit crabs, chinchillas, gerbils, dogs, parakeets, horses, cats, and geckos. I still have 8 of these stamps unused from the booklet bought at Los Altos Post Office. However, my favorite pet stamps are from Great Britain "3586 "Peter Rabbit" honoring the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter (issued 7-28-2016), and a green stamp of "Koala Bear" from Australia #171 issued on October 10, 1942. Photo Sources: U.S. #5106-5125 (amazon.com); Great Britain #3586 (colnect.com); Australia #171 (colnect.com) There are 74 million pet cats and 70 million pet dogs in America, with China second in pets ownership. U.S. 5106-5125 Pets Booklet (issued 8-2-2016) Top Dog & Cat Populations (2017) Worldwide Pet Ownership Survey The Worldwise Pet Ownership Survey shows U.S. leading the world in pet ownership with 69.9 million pet dogs and 74 million pet cats. China is second with 27.4 million pet dogs & 53.1 million pet cats. Russia is third with 12.5 million dogs & 17.8 million cats. Japan is fourth with 12 milllion dogs. Brazil is fourth with 12.5 million cats. Photo Sources: U.S. 5106-5125 Pets Booklet (amazon.com); Worldwide Pet Ownership (petsecure.com.au) Scientific studies have shown dogs & cats prolong human lives by thirty percent— help seniors relax & reduce their stress. Dogs Reduce Stress Cats Reduce Stress "Owning a Dog May Add Years to Your Life, Study Shows" (By Jake Rossen, Mental Floss, 11-17, 2017). Uppsala University in Sweden looked at the health records of 3.4 million of their residents. They found those with a dog for a housemate were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease or any other cause during the study's 12-year duration. Those who had a dog were 33% less likely to die early than those who did not [Scientific Reports 7, 15821 (2017)]. In article "Can owning a pet help you live longer?" (By Jane McGrath, How Stuff Works?), Minnesota Stroke Institute followed more than 4,000 cat owners over 10 years, owning a cat can dramatically reduce a person's chance of dying from heart disease. People who owned cats were 30% less likely to suffer a heart attack. Dr. Kevin Solomons blogs on "Dogs and Depression: How Dogs Reduce Stress, Anxiety, and Sadness"— "Dogs offer us unconditional acceptance. Dogs encourage us to exercise. Dogs reduce isolation and loneliness. Dogs help us manage our feelings. Dogs promote touch. Dogs reduce anxiety." Elizabeth Scott writes in "How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress" (1-14-2912)— "Pets Can Improve Your Mood. Pets Control Blood Pressure Better Than Drugs. Pets Encourage You To Get Out And Exercise. Pets Can Help With Social Support. Pets Stave Off Loneliness and Provide Unconditional Love. Pets Can Reduce Stress Sometimes More Than People." Photo Sources: Dogs Reduce Stress (borntobeworthless.com); Cats Reduce Stress (westsideanimalhospitalchicago.com) A farm in upstate New York offers cow cuddling therapy sessions via brushing, petting or heartfelt chats with the bovines. Mountain Horse Farm 7520 W Hollow Rd, Naples, New York Cow Cuddling as Physical Therapy Girls Petting Cows at Mountain Horse Farm On page A2 of Sunday, July 14, 2019 issue of San Jose Mercury News was an article "CATTLE CUDDLING: Move over, therapy dogs— make way for therapy cows" by Elisa Mala, published originally on July 12, 2019 in the New York Times. From a lush pasture on Mountain Horse Farm in upstate New York, 3-year-old Bella & 2-year-old Bonnie are highlander-angus crossbred cows that provide animal-based therapy. Cow cuddling, invites interaction with the farm animals via brushing, petting or heartfelt chats with the bovines. Hourlong cow cuddling sessions, priced at $75 per couple for the hour, are capped at two a day. Photo Sources: Mountain Horse Farm (tripadvisor.com); Cow Cuddling (nytimescom); Girls Petting Cows (nytimescom). Tom T. Hall sings my favorite country-western: "Ain't but three things in life worth a solitary dime, But old dogs and children and watermelon wine. Tom T. Hall Country Music Singer Old Dog and Child playing with each other Watermelon Wine Bottle Label I love classical music and listen to KDFC daily, including many of them in my haikus. However, I like a few country-western songs by Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, and Tom T. Hall. One of my all-time favorites is Tom T. Hall's "Watermelon Wine" (YouTube) "Old Dogs, Children & Watermelon Wine" Lyrics (1972): "How old do you think I am? " he said. I said, well, I didn't know. He said, "I turned 65 about 11 months ago." I was sittin' in Miami pourin' blended whiskey down When this old gray black gentleman was cleanin' up the lounge There wasn't anyone around 'cept this old man and me The guy who ran the bar was watchin' "ironsides" on tv Uninvited, he sat down and opened up his mind On old dogs and children and watermelon wine "Ever had a drink of watermelon wine? " he asked He told me all about it, though I didn't answer back "Ain't but three things in this world that's worth a solitary dime, But old dogs and children and watermelon wine." He said, "women think about they-selves, when menfolk ain't around. And friends are hard to find when they discover that you're down." He said, "I tried it all when I was young and in my natural prime; Now it's old dogs and children and watermelon wine." "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes; God bless little children while they're still too young to hate." When he moved away I found my pen and copied down that line 'Bout old dogs and children and watermelon wine. I had to catch a plane up to Atlanta that next day As I left for my room I saw him pickin' up my change That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine. Image Sources: Tom T. Hall (tvtropes.org); Dog & Child (fatherly.com); Watermelon Wine (homebrewing.org) Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes, God bless children while they're still too young to hate." No wonder dogs and children are good for our health. Hungary #1151 Hunting Dog (issued 3-17-1956) Denmark #B34 Happy Child (issued 10-21-1965) Kid Therapy: Mixing Seniors and youthful energy in Eagan, Minnesota The Hunting Dog portrait from Hungary #1151 is a nice image of a caring dog. I recall a "Happy Child with arms raised in a meadow" stamp from Denmark #B34. Unfortunely, the web site showing it was a used stamp. After some search, found an unused copy at HipStamp, showing a jubilant little girl. Star Tribune (6-21-2014) reports that "a senior facility in Eagan, Minnesota is pairing eager preschoolers with frail clients, and enjoying the smiles on both sides." An article "Having children may increase lifespan" (By Honor Whiteman, Medical News Today, 3-14-2017), reports "the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that people who had children may live up to 2 years longer than those who are childless." These stories show that dogs and children are good for our health. Thanks to Karen for taking me to Hakone Gardens on Fourth of July and her asking "Are you my pet?" that inspired this poem while I learned more about pets and our well-being. Photo Sources: Hungary #1151 (colnect.com); Denmark #B34 (hipstamp.com); Kid Therapy: Children & Seniors (startribune.com) — Peter Y. Chou     Mountain View, 7-19-2019 | Top | Poem "Concerning Pets" | Poems 2019 | Poems 2018 | Poems 2017 | Poems 2016 | Poems 2015 | | Poems 2014 | Poems 2013 | Poems 2012 | Poems 2011 | Haikus 2019 | Haikus 2018 | Haikus 2017 | Haikus 2016 | | Haikus 2015 | Haikus 2014 | Haikus 2013 | Haikus 2012 | Walks 2019 | News | CPITS | Books | A-Z Portals | Home | © Peter Y. Chou, Wisdom Portal P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039 email: (7-19-2019)