My Unique Friendships … Circle Of Friends

This week, over at SoulGifts….Circle Of Friends, Raili poses the following …This week’s theme invites you to share your most unique experience of friendship. What moment, memory, experience, person comes to mind?………

Raili’s ‘swans’ brought back a happy memory of ‘friendship’ for me that I feel fits this weeks ‘unique’ experience of friendship…..and my memory also includes a swan….a swan I named Herbie.

In the middle of sixth grade, we once again were packed up and moved to another town, another new school. This move meant I had to leave the lake behind..the boating and fishing that occupied my time. What was I going to do with my time?!  How would I cope!? We then pulled up to this old, yellow, little house, the paint peeling off the wooden siding, the yard overgrown with knee high grass…..I saw all these things for a second…because there in front of me, right across the road from where I would be living, was an enormous pond…water was still going to be a part of my small existence!!!!

this isnt the exact house, but the color is darn close (photo via goodle search)

I could have cared less about the sleeping arrangements,,,I just wanted to grab my pole and tackle box. Needless to say, I did have to partake in the unpacking ritual (once again). With this move, I was able to bring my puppy Ash and my cat Fluffy…….so not only did I have a place to fish, I had my best friends too……Ash was cute as a button and my Fluffy, the bestest friend any girl could ask for. She got me through many unhappy moments.

Me and Ash

Fluffy

Changing schools again….totally sucked. I was a scared, introverted girl who didn’t/couldn’t talk to people. I was different, and I knew it. The other kids only knew I was loner, not that they could understand why…..thankfully most just left me alone…..all I wanted to do was get through the day so I could get home, get my pole and fish. The pond was stocked with sunnys and bluegill and I eventually would find out they also stocked it with trout…..I didn’t care about all that, just being able to cast my line and sit with my dog, I was happy……though Ash and I caught our share of fish!!! 

Then one day, I noticed a swan. Sure there was the Canadian Geese who stopped in, a few ducks, but never a swan. I ran inside, got some bread and started to feed him….and that’s how my friendship with Herbie began. Everyday, rain or shine, I could go outside, call his name, and no matter where he was, he’d fly or swim to me. I can remember one particular day, it was drizzling rain, and I decided to take a walk around the pond…I was crying and upset,,,,Herbie swam with me the whole way around while I walked and talked…he listened. Nobody else could get him to come to them…my sisters would try, but for whatever reason, I was the only one he seemed to listen to………..which made me feel special. My sisters and their friends would tease and make fun of me..”Linda’s only friends are her animals”, which was true….but they shut up the day Herbie crossed the street and came looking for me ☺️. I was sick, and hadn’t been outside for a few days…my mother had come home from somewhere and said I had a visitor…Herbie was in the driveway!!!! 😄

Herbie and my pond!!

We lived there for 2 1/2 years……right before we moved, Herbie disappeared….and sadly, so did my pup Ash and cat Fluffy……but, like my dog Buffy, Poem About Buffy …my ‘friends’ got me through the rough stuff……