ANIMALS AND INDELIBLE MEMORIES LINDA MENARY GAVE CHILDREN THE FARM OF TAMPA AVENUE.Byline: JOSH KLEINBAUM Staff Writer Linda Menary never had children, but she claimed hundreds, maybe thousands, of her own. There were kids who came to her Tampa Avenue farm for pony rides. Kids who regularly visited the petting zoo zoo or zoological garden Place where wild and sometimes domesticated animals are exhibited in captivity. Aquatic zoological gardens are called aquariums. The first zoos were perhaps associated with domestication. . And the kids that she took in off the street to work on the farm, teaching them to respect animals, respect their elders and to respect themselves. Menary died Monday of a heart attack while driving to Bakersfield for a horse auction. She would have turned 62 today. Funeral arrangements are pending. ``She was a wonderful person, and she'll be missed by many, especially the children,'' said Adele Jamrozik, a longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective friend. ``She let them get on the ranch ranch, large farm devoted chiefly to raising and breeding cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. The cattle ranch was introduced from Latin America to Texas and the plains of the W United States and Canada. and experience the Valley like it was 50 years ago.'' Other friends recall a caring woman who dedicated her life to raising animals, teaching children to love animals and keeping a rural atmosphere alive in an booming metropolis. ``I grew riding at the pony ride for six years and then working there for another seven years,'' said Dixie Dugan, 42, who now lives in Rosamond. ``I would go to the pony ride every day after school, and all day on the weekends. ``She would take us kids everywhere with her -- horse shows, trail rides, wagon trains wagon train, in U.S. history, a group of covered wagons used to convey people and supplies to the West before the coming of the railroad. The wagon replaced the pack, or horse, train in land commerce as soon as proper roads had been built. , camping, the beach, horse auctions, county fairs, out to breakfast, lunch or dinner. She would let us pick our favorite horse, and it would be just like owning it. ``That meant everything to us horse-crazy girls growing up in the middle of the city.'' Menary discovered the pony-ride business at age 13, after both of her parents died in a plane crash. She had one small pony, which she'd bring to inner-city areas and offer rides for pennies. After one exhausting day of pony rides, a man asked her to bring her pony to a birthday party, and give rides to children at the party. Just like that, her pony-ride business was born. Over the next 46 years, Menary built the business into The Farm, a pony-ride farm and petting zoo on Tampa Avenue in Reseda that has become a San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. landmark. ``She was determined she was going to save every animal on the planet, and she probably owned every animal on the planet at one time or another,'' said Jeannie Plumb, a friend of Menary's for 35 years. Menary's farm won over the hearts of parents and children, but it drew the ire of some neighbors and local officials. Over the last two decades, she battled developers and city zoning and animal control officers to keep her property with all of the animals. ``Linda never saw the harm in having a rural piece of property that had livestock livestock Farm animals, with the exception of poultry. In Western countries the category encompasses primarily cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, and mules; other animals (e.g., buffalo, oxen, or camels) may predominate in other areas. on it for the public to see,'' Plumb said. ``Maybe there was an excess of animals at times, but she wanted animals there for the children.'' Menary loved Willie Nelson's music and was a regular at Brent's Delicatessen. Her pickup Pickup A gain in yield made by selling one bond and buying another. Also referred to as "yield pickup." Notes: When the present yield is relatively low compared to the longer-term yields, pickups will be done by investors trying to increase the yield and duration of their truck was a staple 1. (language) STAPLE - A programming language written at Manchester (University?) and used at ICL in the early 1970s for writing the test suites. STAPLE was based on Algol 68 and had a very advanced optimising compiler. 2. in the deli's parking lot at breakfast time, and she'd order as if she were in her own kitchen. ``She had a zest for life I've never known in anybody else,'' said Jamrozik, a waitress at Brent's. ``She had the get-up-and-go of a 16-year-old. She would go all day long, from a horse sale to the working on the farm, running around here, there and everywhere.'' She told great stories, too, Jamrozik said, many of them not suitable for print. In one story, Menary couldn't persuade her then-husband, Alan Semster, to take a vacation. When persuasion PERSUASION. The act of influencing by expostulation or request. While the persuasion is confined within those limits which leave the mind free, it may be used to induce another to make his will, or even to make it in his own favor; but if such persuasion should so far operate on the mind didn't work, she turned to trickery Trickery See also Cunning, Deceit, Humbuggery. Bunsby, Captain Jack trapped into marriage by landlady. [Br. Lit.: Dombey and Son] Camacho cheated of bride after lavish wedding preparations. [Span. Lit. . She loaded her truck with dirty clothes and told her husband to get in the truck so they could go do laundry Laundry can be:
Before industrialization . ``After 45 minutes, he said, `Where are we going to do laundry?''' Jamrozik said. ``She said, `Idaho.''' josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3669 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Above, Linda Menary, who died Monday of a heart attack, leaves behind a legacy of pony rides and a love of children. Right, a little girl peeks through the fence at Menary's The Farm on Tampa Avenue on Friday to get a look at the animals. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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