My mother and dad were big animal lovers too. I just don't know how I would have lived without animals around me. I'm fascinated by them - both domestic pets and the wild community. They just are the most interesting things in the world to me and it's made such a difference in my lifetime.
That folk music led to learning to play and making things up led to what turns out to be the most lucrative part of the music business - writing because you get paid every time that song gets played.