Memory Lane #1-- Pet Worms

Before we moved to Utah, we lived for a while in Colorado and we had a dog.  I don't remember much about the dog except that it could climb trees and it was great to have a dog. When we moved to Douglas Street in SLC, I pestered my parents relentlessly for a pet.

 One spring morning after a rain, I found a whole bunch of worms on the sidewalk and on top of the grass. I was a bit of a tomboy and I remember thinking of myself as pretty tough and not afraid of much. I wasn't a sissy girl. Since my parents were firm about not having a pet, I had to make due. I decided these worms would make great pets. I collected as many as I could and lined them all up on the ground. I cut a few of them in half  because, as far I understood it, this didn't hurt them at all and simply resulted in having two worms instead of one. I took some sticks and laid them out like a blue print of a barn and a corral. I put groups of worms in the various stalls. It was lots of fun and I played until I was called in for lunch. 

I returned to check on my worm farm sometime later in the afternoon. Most of the worms had escaped and the rest had dried up and died in the afternoon sun.  I felt bad that I hadn't foreseen this and that I hadn't taken good enough care of them. I'd have to find a pet that was easier to care for than a worm.