I had the fortune of growing up in a sparsely-populated, rural part of Southern Ontario. I didn't think so at the time, but looking back I almost envy my younge

I had the fortune of growing up in a sparsely-populated, rural part of Southern Ontario. I didn't think so at the time, but looking back I almost envy my younger self. Whenever you went swimming in a creek or river that wasn't Lake Erie, and the water wasn't rushing too quickly at that spot you had to be damned careful about snapping turtles. There were also a lot of beavers. Coyotes could be dangerous if they got hungry, but usually ran away. You'd hear of the odd wolf venturing down, but that was not common -- too many farms. There was a large population of deer. I always joke about the county fair we had down there, too. I like to say that's where I milked my first goat. Which is true... but it was also, thankfully, my last.