When meeting a famous person one might get what some call “star stricken.” This typically means that they are unable to function normally due to the pure shock of being in the presence of an idol. Some might even get this sensation when encountering a well-known author. However I did not have this experience meeting David Kline.
Reading his novel Great Possessions I did not view David Kline as an arrogant person, just one that is knowledgeable on the lay of the land that he owns. Meeting him, too, he came off as very humble. He seemed reserved in his excitement that we were there to listen to him, but I could tell based on how much he talked. He was eager to answer our questions, and kind enough to welcome us into his home. He also, as he did from his writing, came off as extremely intelligent, at least on the topic of his farm work and community.
What excited me more, however, was the amount of animals present on the farm. Perhaps I was more taken by them because they showed little enthusiasm to our arrival, like a want what you can’t have deal. Pulling into the driveway there was a group of horses grazing at their feed who didn’t even flinch at our presence. Stopping in the driveway we were immediately secured next to a group of quails who ran to safety as soon as we exited our vehicles. The miniature ponies stayed where they were in their pens expressing zero curiosity. The cats did show their curious sides but most of them remained skittish when we tried to pet them. The only animal that revealed itself to be entirely thrilled was Rosy the dog, who was more than willing to get pats and give kisses.
Animals, then, may spark more interest purely due to the fact that they hide their excitement and curiosity, forcing us to reach out to them while authors are the ones reaching out to us through their writing as David Kline had done, and he was the one willing to let us visit his farm.
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