Thanks mom!

[guidofatherof5]

Being almost 50(almost) I guess I've taken it for granted that I've always had a love for Garter snakes. Even after joining this forum I didn't give any thought to where it all began. Well, after my 5 wonderful kids left for the evening to be with there mother for awhile. I was looking around the livingroom and focused on a photo of my Mom. It's been almost 5 years since she passed, at the young age of 83. Thinking back I can remember her introducing me to my first Garter snake. She had a great love for all creatures. As just a kid and then a teenager she would let me have as many pets as I wanted. So long as I was responsible and took good care of them. This was back in the late 60's and 70's. The list of pets is long:
100+ dime store turtles.
all the frogs I could catch.
Salamanders
Newts
50+ Gater snakes.
chuckwalla
1 pair Golden Tagues
Nile monitor
Skinks
Horned toads
Toads
Box turtles
Wood turtle
Painted turtles
50lb Snapping turtle
Bull Snake
Boa
It was about a month before she past away when we were having one of those mom/son talks, that I asked her why she let me have so many pets. She simply answer. "If you were busy taking care of them, you weren't out getting into trouble"
I'm so blessed to have had the great loving mother that I had and I can only hope that I pass a small part of her legacy on to my children. These little creatures can help teach us more than we sometimes give them credit for. More than anything I wanted to post this as a tribute to my mom. Peggy Ann Gilfillan. I wish you could have met her.