Water puppies

Once, when I was in fourth grade, I decided that if I ever had to come back as an animal, I wanted it to be an otter.

I put a great deal of thought into this, right down to the fact that I would be eating fish! Raw!

But I decided that if I were an otter, fish might taste differently to me.

I liked the way otters looked with their professorial noses and furry bodies. I liked the way they held their babies in the water. And I liked the fact that they loved to play - even when they were grown-up. At the time I read that they were the only adult animal that did this, but I don't know if that is true or not.

I've been watching them ever since and my love of them has not waned. They slide down into the water and roll and romp and play like happy water puppies. Then they curl up together and go to sleep. That seems almost ideal to me.

And, as an added note, as I grew up I noticed they have a fondness for abalone. I do too! Only I just like to look at the shells where they prefer eating what's inside, but maybe I'm on my way.