The post following this one is very interesting and informative. I don't want to get on a soapbox here, but the rainforests and the incredible wildlife that inhabits them are disappearing at an alarming rate. The orangutans are predicted to be extinct in the wild within the next 10 years if dramatic actions are not taken. Having worked with these animals for nearly 20 years, this is particularly sad for me to imagine. There are so many things working against them, but there is hope. Please take the time to watch the video featuring Willie Smits. He is an amazing man doing amazing things. It is only by raising awareness that we can save the orangutans, and ourselves. Thanks for "listening".

Willie Smits restores a rainforest | Video on TED.com

Willie Smits restores a rainforest Video on TED.com

Where Does the Time Go?

Wow, I can't believe I have not updated this since August. I guess I have been otherwise occupied. There have been a few holidays and a birthday or two since the last posting. The girls are almost finished with another year of school! Amelia is in the first grade, and is doing great. She loves her teacher, Mrs. Rodriguez. Hannah is in the fourth grade (taking FCAT tests last week and this week). She is still making great grades and enjoying school. I am so proud of them both. Hannah did so well on her FCAT last year that she has been recommended for an advanced learning program thru Duke University. There are different areas of interest the kids can focus on to do projects they can then submit to the program for recognition. Hannah is especially excited about the possibility of having one of her stories or poems published. I am going to include a couple of pictures from the first day of school. Hopefully I remember how to add them on here...
Looking at these pictures makes me realize how much time has passed. Both of the girls have changed their hairstyles once or twice since these were taken. They look so sweet and innocent in these pictures. I wish they would stop growing up so fast!!

I guess the next big event that took place was Thanksgiving. I was so fortunate as to have to work all day, so for the first time in my life, I spent the holiday alone. Poor me. The girls spent the holiday with Steve and his family. When I got home from work I planned to have a turkey sandwich, but my wonderful neighbors came over as I was coming in the house with a delicious plate of food from their dinner earlier in the day. So I was able to be part of the day after all!

For Christmas this year, the girls and I stayed home. Last year we went to Steve's Dad's and Step-mom's for the holiday. It was our first Christmas without Steve here, so we wanted to do something a little different so that it would not be so hard for us. We had a very good time, and Jill and Steve were so wonderful to us and made us feel so welcome. But this year, we were ready to start our new Christmas traditions here at home. Steve actually came over before work on Christmas morning to see the girls open their gifts, and even took a quick bike ride with them before he had to go. They were thrilled he got to be here, and I was really happy to celebrate at home. They got lots of goodies from Santa, and kept themselves busy for the next couple of days. A few days later the three of us packed up and headed to Jacksonville to visit "Jilly" and "Uncle Pappy". Santa had left some very, very nice (and much hoped for) gifts there for the girls. He even left me some really nice things there, too!! They each got a ZhuZhu pet and they got their very own laptop computer. I think Hannah knows more about how to use a computer than I do now. We had a really nice visit, and I was sad to see it end so soon.

Putting out "Reindeer Food" on Christmas Eve

A few of the gifts left by Santa Claus

Amelia lost her tooth!!

Amelia is growing up!!! She lost her first tooth today. It has been hanging on by the "skin of it's tooth" (just had to say that) and we thought it would come out last night. But it was still there this morning. They went to the pool this afternoon with their friend Chloe, and at some point Chloe accidentally kicked Amelia in the chin and the tooth came out. My experiences tell me that if you have a tooth that just won't give up the fight, go swimming!! It has worked for me, Leah, and Amelia. Amelia is really excited about the tooth fairy coming, but worried because she did not find her tooth. So she has written a note to put in her little tooth fairy pillow explaining why there is no tooth inside. And now she is worried the tooth fairy will be too small to open the note. I told her to relax, the tooth fairy could handle that. Now if she just doesn't forget to stop by!!!!

My Girls





Hannah, July 2009



Amelia, July 2009

She is her mother's daughter!!

Ok. I cannot believe the whole summer has passed and I have not updated the blog one single time!! I would like to say I have been too busy, but I think the word I am actually looking for is "lazy"! The girls have been on their annual whirlwind summer tour of the Southeast. They spent a couple of weeks in Jacksonville (with Uncle Pappy and Jillie), one week in Demopolis (with Daddy Hawk and Grandmama), and one week in North Carolina (with Grandpa John and Grandma Weezie). I feel like I have hardly seen them all summer. They enjoyed all of their trips, but were ready to be back home and both were very excited for school to start back (they get that from their dad--he gets so excited about the new school year). Obviously, none of them share my love of sleeping in or they would not be half as excited as they say they are. Both of them like their teachers after the first day, and Hannah has several kids in her class from last year, and she is back with two of her good friends from 1st grade. Needless to say, she is really thrilled about that. Amelia has a couple of kids from her class last year in her class again this year, but she is all about making new friends. And she also just assumes that Hannah's friends are her friends as well (sound familiar, Tracy?), so she feels like she is right at home already.

We have not had any big events happen over the summer. Amelia has one or two loose teeth, but so far she still hasn't lost any. It is not for lack of her wishing for them to fall out. I am not sure how much she thinks the Tooth Fairy is going to give her for each tooth, but I have a feeling she is going to be sorely disappointed with reality. I am hoping those wiggly little teeth hang on for a long time, because I hate for them to loose those pretty little "baby" smiles!! And it means she is growing up, and she is my baby. I don't want her to grow up so fast! Hannah is already claiming to be "almost a teenager", so I have to hang on to Amelia as a little girl as long as possible.

Amelia did receive a couple of scars for souveniers from the summer of 2009. Steve took them to the beach (to Jillie and Uncle Pappy's condo) and Amelia fell at the pool the first day they were there and split her chin. She went to the ER, but thankfully did not have to have stitches, just a little glue and some butterfly strips. And then the next week, Steve took them to his parent's house in Jacksonville. The same day they got there, Amelia dropped a stool on her foot and knocked her toenail off of her big toe (OUCH!!). I was beginning to dread her leaving the house for fear of what might happen next. She was a real trooper with both injuries, and Hannah was a regular little nurse taking care of her until they got back home. When they got back from the beach, Hannah told me exactly how to take care of the wound and bandages on Amelia's chin, and showed me where all the supplies were and instructed me on how often I needed to clean it and change the bandage. To see them fighting like cats and dogs the majority of the time, it always surprises me to realize they really do love each other!

Hannah turned 9 years old on July 22. Not quite the teenager she wants to be, but certainly not a "baby" anymore!! Steve gave her a longboard skateboard for her birthday, and he did a custom paint job on it. I will have to take a picture of it and post it on here. Of course, she LOVES it, and thinks she is cooler than cool when she rides it. But she had it for about 2 days when they left to go to North Carolina. The last time I saw it, it was in her room. When they got back home, she was going to take it out to ride and could not find it. Of course she wanted to know what I had done with it. (Because, as everyone knows, I am a closet skateboard fanatic). Once I had convinced her that I had not touched it while she was gone, then she decided that it had been stolen. Our next door neighbor Chloe told her that she might have seen one of the neighborhood boys riding it. That was all that was needed for them to take off to the garage, and all three of them jumped on their bikes to go "after" the supposed thief. The Wilderness Lake Biker gang!! They did not find the skateboard at the "suspects" house, and eventually I reached Steve and he said he had it at his house. So thankfully, the skateboard was safe and sound, and the innocent neighbor did not get roughed up by my little hoodlums!

While the girls were enjoying their summer vacation, I was working out in the heat and humidity all summer long. And it was a rough summer for us at the zoo. Unfortunately, we lost our old male chimp, Bamboo, to heart disease a few weeks ago. He was such a wonderful old guy. He was kind of cranky towards the keepers sometimes, but you could not help but love him dearly. He had a tough time the last couple of weeks, and it was very difficult for all of us knowing that our days with him were numbered. The other chimps in the group have definitely felt his absence, but we have tried to keep things as normal as possible for them, and have spent a little bit of extra time with them as well. This seems to make them happy, and it definitely makes all of us primate keepers happy to spend extra time with them. They are the most amazing creatures!

Bamboo and Sasha

I have spent the last 3 weeks or so rehabilitating a baby Mourning Dove. He (or she?) was found on the ground at the zoo after having fallen from the nest and being roughed up pretty badly by a crow. After a quick visit to the vet clinic, it was straight home to begin the process of recovery. I actually did not expect him to survive the ordeal, but survive he has. Now the only problem is that I have a fully fledged dove that refuses to grow up and leave my nest!! He still refuses to eat the food that normal wild doves would eat, instead waiting until I give him some of the baby food I have prepared for him. I am down to feeding him once a day, and leaving the other food available all the time, but he is as stubborn as I am!! Stay tuned to see who wins this one.

So that is really all that has been going on as of late. I am sure I am leaving somethings out, but that will give me something to post later on, I suppose. I have included a few pictures taken over the summer. Hope you enjoy seeing them.

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

Well, summer is well underway. If there were any doubt before, there isn't after spending the last 3 days working outside in this heat and humidity. And I know they say it's not the heat, but the humidity..... But honestly, I think it is the heat. I am not looking forward to the next three or four months. I do not understand why so many people come to the zoo during the summer when they could actually be at home in the air-conditioning!!! We do what we can to help the animals stay cool, and they all seem to fare pretty well. It is us old folks that really suffer!!
Anyway, the girls have been out of school for a couple of weeks, and I have barely seen them. They went to Steve's dad's and step-mom's last Wednesday and will not be home until tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday). While I have really enjoyed being lazy and not having to worry about anyone but me, I have missed them so much! Amelia made her first visit to the emergency room the first day she was there. She was running around the pool and slipped and fell. She landed on her chin and split it a little. I was at work and got a message that she was "ok, but going to the ER to be checked". My poor baby! Steve was with her, and said she did great. She did not have to have stitches, just a little "glue" and a couple of butterfly bandages. Hannah texted me the next morning and said "Amelia's chin doesn't hurt, and all we had to do was glue her back together". Thankfully the rest of the visit has been relatively uneventful. However, they are a bit homesick. Hannah sent me a text message yesterday saying she just really wants to come home. I wanted to jump in the car and go get them, but I had to work all day today and couldn't do it. I think they have had fun, but there is "no place like home", after all. I mean they can't even have a good ol' fight, hitting and crying and tattling, when they are away. They apparantly put on some kind of facade and lead everyone to believe they are these adorable, well behaved children that never do all the things I say they do!! I know they are ready to get back so they can show their true colors, haha!
We are leaving again on Friday. We will drive to Melbourne to meet up with Tracy and her girls, then we will all pile into her van and head for Alabama. We are going for a family reunion and to see Daddy for Father's Day. I am excited to go and see everyone, but am not looking forward to being captive in the van with 5 little girls for 13 hours. Uuuggghhh!! Whenever we stop for a break, we look like a bunch of clowns piling out of one of those little cars at the circus. It is surprising how much you can actually fit in one of those vans.
Hopefully the weather will be nice for our trip, and the girls will get to have lots of outdoor play time. I hope to get lots of pictures, and will then post them to share with everyone.
Here's wishing all of you dads out there a very Happpy Father's Day!!!!