In Ancient Times

Every once in a while I can't sleep, one early, early morning I was up surfing channels. I came upon a show about the history of torture. It was a history of human atrocities and couldn't stop watching. I have to say we humans can be really awful. One part of the program was about the Romans, gladiators, the Colosseum ...wow that was crazy. The thing that caught my interest was about wild animals the rulers added to the brutality of these games as they call it. What hit me was, they had a plan that the wild animals would fight, kill and eat the gladiators or prisoners. Turns out WRONG! You see the animals get it, they had reverence for nature for our home earth. All the creatures in nature have jobs to do and eating roman prisoners was not on their to do list! Now don't get me wrong I'm sure they got a few, but thank goodness that creepy stuff doesn't happen anymore. Humans could learn from the wild animals, take only what you need, leave only footprints and respect all the other beast that share this earth. I think that would be easier than math fractions, don't you?

BECAUSE IT IS NOT RIGHT

I don't care if you are an avid hunter, I don't care if you believe deer meat is so tasty (Like boot leather), I don't care if you want your infant to bag a deer, I DON'T CARE. Don't tell me hunting is a right, don't tell me it pays for whatever, I don't care. I do care when in the name of hunting animals are fenced, tortured and killed all in the name of so called dog training. What difference then in pit bulls fighting - what difference Cock Roosters fighting ? What animal is worthy to protect, only ones used for illegal betting but, hunting is not the same in Indiana. The Department of Natural Resources voted to allow dogs to mutilate coyotes in fenced pens, hunting huh? What honor is that? I saw the video, I read about DNR passing the act, I have been so angry, do disgusted. I look out at the coyote Buddy that is one of our teachers, one of our beast friends, it makes me ill to think someone would torture him so dogs can hunt them. In Indiana you need a permit to have coyotes, will these so called training facilities need a permit and where will the victim coyotes come from? I don't know-it is not right! For me sometimes I wonder if any animal stands a chance, are we so selfish we cannot find a way to live with nature. I don't care I will spend all the time I can around nature and the animals because for me and the Animal Guy, our beast friends need all the help we can give.

RIGHT PJ

When you have a tough decision to make you need the right people to help you out, goes for everything, I think. That very thing came up in my life not long ago. My only intention in this dilemma was to conduct myself the way that is most respectful. Probably happens all the time, but, I felt I needed to get a second opinion, one that knows me, and likes me anyway, that I trusted, to help me, and for me it was my 4th grade BFF PJ, I made that call. She listened and I made my case and after all my "what do you think?" all she had to tell me was "You'll do the right thing", and we said goodbye. At that moment I was kinda like..what, that is not I want you to tell me, what do I do! Anyway, the right thing is what I hoped I did. It wasn't till about 4 or 5 weeks later I was mowing the grass and it hit me, man, that was probably the nicest thing someone has told me in a long time, that the me she knows will do the right thing, when it comes to the tuff stuff in life. YOU ROCK PJ!

Funny

Sometimes things happen, happen so you get to realize who you are. Bad, good, sad, funny anything can help. One thing this year, well, a lot of things but there's one I really thought... funny. Before a school convo last year in the restroom I was placed in a awkward life scene: me in a stall fastening my belt: herd of gals, 8th, 9th grade chatting about the convo, "It's the Animal Guy - yeah that lady thinks she is funny". HEY I AM FUNNY!!! All I could think of was I needed to come out and she was going to have to look me in the eye- if our places were reversed and I had said that , oh man, serious bummer, what would the others in the herd think? I felt for the young gal, I just tried to smile a kind of smile, went to washing my hands. The stunned silent herd froze like the old lioness had slipped into the gazelles, they scattered, muttering something about " can she hold the snake?"...now she was funny.

Fishing With Abe Lincoln

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has very special people that care so much about nature, they just want as many kids of all ages to enjoy the outside, the natural world. That leads Larry to pack some of our wild animal teachers and head the animal truck to Washington DC to help teach inner city kids about our wild animal friends plus they get to fish in the pond next to the World War II memorial in the nation's capital. Fishing and seeing Larry and the reptiles like our gila monster, alligator snapping turtle and more and of course Itty Bitty the python likes to tag along. This year the US Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 300 copies of our new book "Baxter's Alphabet Swamp", I have to say we are honored that "Baxter's Alphabet Swamp" made it to Capital Hill! Since I stay home and care for the rest of the beast friends that means I get a present...and Larry is headin east again soon so more loot for Cher!!!

Cool Creek - Great Park

For the animal guys, that's me too, summer takes us instead of school cause well, they are closed; anyway we usually start at the Cool Creek Nature Center in Carmel, Indiana. It is a fun night, great campfire, songs and the animal show next to the creek and after the program the yummy part..marshmallows, roasted. Wild animals outside always a good time!!!

Scary Dog Dreams

One night about a week ago I heard the dogs, Tim and Enos plus the wolves Chloe and Blake barking and carrying on. So I went to the front door looking out to see what was going on and there was Chloe the wolf looking back thru the front door window, kinda asking "What's Up". At that moment I was reminded of the scariest dream that I had when I was a kid, it was so scary. I had it more than once too and it still creeps me out now! The dream was always slow motion, waking up to my Mom and Dad's front door to look out the window, as I get closer to the door I could see something outside. I got closer to press my face to the window and as I did a dog-wolf thing was looking back at me, it was so scary it walked on it's hind legs like a person,it looked in at me and licked the window, turned and walked out of my parent's yard on it's hind legs and down the street. To this day, I cannot stand those awful velvet paintings of dogs playing cards, you know the ones....creepy! I am not sure why that dream is so scary, because I look out now and the dog faces I see are friends, very special friends! I wonder if the scary dreams are not so scary, maybe that scary dog or what I thought was a dog was just a glimmer of what challenges may come in life. What we might think is so scary is really not so bad after all. But I still cannot stand those creepy paintings.