Thursday, May 1, 2014

You Can Call Me Cuddles


You Can Call Me Cuddles

My ears are small.
My nose is wide.
I have squinty eyes,
big webbed toes,
and wiry-bristled sides.

My cousin is a guinea pig,
but I'm MUCH bigger than he.
My body's like a barrel.
There's no bigger rodent than me!

I lay around on the ground
and eat lots of grass and fruit. 
and though YOU may not think I'm cute,
the Mrs. thinks I am.
In fact she's in love with me.
She calls me her Old Whiskery Ham,
and I call her my Dear Sweet Pea.






When I saw this Capybara at the zoo, I recoiled a little, shuddering and thinking about how much it seemed like a giant rat. Right after I snapped the picture above, a little girl who was maybe four or five years old came up, saw the animal, and squealed, "Oh, he's sooo CUTE! I wish I could have him as a pet!"  Her mother and I exchanged amused glances. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

45 comments:

  1. Oh Daisy I have to agree with you... beauty is in the eye of the beholder ;-)... This is not a pet I would want:-)

    I know I'm taking a blog break but I'm still reading a few posts and of course I wanted to read yours... have a great day ;-)

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    1. Aw, thank you, Launna. I hope you enjoy your time away. :)

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    2. Hi Daisy... I just wanted to let you know I am back... I am going to take it slow though... I still need to get rest... even if I cannot sleep... have a great day :)

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  2. I've never seen one of them... But you are so right: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!!! Don't think I'd want this one for a pet though... ha

    Cute poem.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. Betsy, this was the first time for me to see one in person. I've seen pictures before. It was the size of a small dog! I would NOT want this for a pet either.

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  3. Daisy,
    Such a cute poem and I actually think this little guy is also 'kind of cute'
    Notice I did say 'kind of' LOL
    I know my granddaughter Rose would love him .

    Happy weekend.
    Smiles

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    1. Ha! Yes, maybe he would appeal more to the young. :D Have a good weekend!

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  4. Awe, this is the first one I've ever seen. I don't think I'd want one but it sure is cute. I just love this poem. You are an awesome writer. Hugs,xo

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    1. Thank you, Susie! Have a nice weekend! :-)

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  5. Anonymous5/02/2014

    How unusual! Such a cute poem and a funny story about the little girl.
    Have a nice weekend.

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    1. Thank you, Mildred! Happy weekend to you! :)

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  6. Imagine seeing that out in the middle of nowhere and trying to describe it to someone. Cute poem!

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    1. Debbie, I don't think I'd want to come across this guy out in the middle of nowhere. Although, I think he is a vegetarian, so I assume he isn't too dangerous to be around. Thanks! Have a nice weekend!

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  7. He is cute! I keep finding that I want a pet since my kids have grown and my grandkids for the most part live far away. Maybe this one will do, ha! Love your poem. You should do a kids' book about animals.....

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    1. Thanks, Sandy! I hope you have a great weekend! :)

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  8. Okay. If you insist. Hi, Cuddles! (Well, your title DOES say...) Never mind.

    Time to get serious. I think he's adorable. Really. Then again, I think moles and bats are cute, too.

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    1. Ha! :D Well, to each his own! Hope you have a great weekend, Susan!

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  9. I love your descriptive poem Daisy and I love the story that goes with it. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Happy Saturday..

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  10. A capybara? Never heard of it. I'm with you - I wouldn't want it as a pet. But I learned a lot from your poem, which is much cuter than he.

    xoRobyn

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  11. LOVE this! Coming to your site is so refreshing. Thanks for all you write. Thanks for being you. xoxo

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  12. Nikki and Robyn, thank you! Hope you have a good week.

    Aw, Reenie, thank you! You are very kind. ♥

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  13. story and poem are really neat. It is so true isn't it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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  14. So cute ~ the poem that is; I'm not so sure about the rodent! He looks like a rat on steroids.

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  15. Thank you, Lady Jane and Charlotte! Happy Monday to you! :)

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  16. Olá amiga,vim retribuir sua carinhosa visita ao meu cantinho.
    Fiquei feliz com sua doce presença!!!
    Seu blog está lindo e inspirador, amei o poema !
    Obrigada!!!
    Beijos Marie.

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    1. Thank you, Marie! Hugs to you. :)

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  17. I think we have quite a large population of them living in the wetlands of the Pacific northwest...really. Glad the missus thinks he's cute !

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    1. Oh my! I didn't know that. Thank you, Kathy! :)

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  18. Love the poem! The rodent, not so much. :) The only cute rodent to me is the porcupine, and I still wouldn't want one as a pet.

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    1. Thank you, Cary! :-) I can't think of any rodent I would want as a pet. My sister had a guinea pig when we were kids, but I didn't care for it, and it would bite if it took a notion to do so!

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  19. I love this poem. The sounds and rhythm are awesome. This is a cute rodent.
    I hope you'll have a Happy Mother's Day.

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    1. Thank you very much, Brenda! Happy Mother's Day to you too!

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  20. We have seen this fellow or at least one of his family members at a nearby zoo and they do look like overgrown rats, and I did not give them any thoughts as to being cuddly but that young girl had other thoughts. I did enjoy your poem, Connie.

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  21. Ugh...seriously I cannot fall in love with anything that resembles a rat. I saw one on Dr Pol the other day and was thinking a good rat is a dead rat even though I was sad for the lady because her beloved pet was dying.

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  22. I also never heard of a capybara. I'm impressed that you speak fluent capybara, and that you and Cuddles were able to have such a nice chat! Very cute poem, and the photo is starting to grow on me! Happy Mother's Day!

    Julie

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  23. Thank you Beatrice, Terri, and Julie! This fellow didn't have a long tail like a rat, but his size made me shudder.

    Julie, I thought everyone spoke capybara! ;)

    Happy Mother's day to all of you!

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  24. True story: a family on vacation found a small odd looking "dog" down by the bay, brought it home, hugged and kissed it all the way. Took it to the vet the next day. The vet broke the news: it was a nutria, those rat like creatures that live down in Biloxi, MS. Can you imagine?!

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    1. Oh my gosh! Linda, that is crazy! Just the thought of that made me shudder. O.o

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  25. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! But I think he's cute too. LOL I also love the flamingo photo in your previous post. Love your poems as well!

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    1. Thank you, Kathleen! :-) Have a great Sunday!

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  26. Olá amiga, vim desejar-lhe uma abençoada semana.
    Doce abraço Marie.

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  27. I think he's a cutie!! (Don't ask me about spiders and snakes though.) Ha!

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  28. Anonymous5/12/2014

    I warmly greet you and invite you to see my new photos.
    I wish you a successful week. Marko

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  29. Well, he seems to have nice fur.
    love the poem!

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  30. Thanks everyone! :)

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