Brothers

At first I did not understand Jeanne's long desire to put bunk-beds in the boy's room.
Why does he need 2 beds?

It could be because his brother has a bunk when needed, it could be when Kopper is not in his bunk, the lower bunk becomes some kind of Star-Wars fighter space ship thing. Or maybe because these sturdy oak bunk-beds, once belonged to his Cousin Bill, and to Tommy, you don't get much cooler then Cousin Bill.

To Me, when tight on space, "Build Upwards".

Tears For Little Willie

Its one thing to have your heart ripped out of your chest, another when along with the pain of a broken heart you add regret.

The first call to the Vet reassured us that maybe Willie had a upset tummy or some indigestion. Keep up what you are doing and call me in the morning. So we rubbed and rubbed his belly. Set him up as comfortable as we could inside the house and thought all will be well in the morning.

At first I wrote it of to a broken thermometer, 93 degrees. A normal Goats temp is somewhere around 101-105, so I was looking for something higher that would indicate a fever or infection. A second thermometer Peg and Willie brought out confirmed, 93.7 degrees.

Another call to the Vet, and I wanted to hear, “bring him in and we will fix him up”. But when I mentioned 93.7, he stopped me and told me, Willie is going to die.

I tried my best to maintain my composure, but he could hear the cracking in my voice. He told me I could bring him in and they would try this and that or we could bring him to Tufts University were they are far more advanced when caring for goats. I know he was only trying to give me some hope for that split second, so I gathered up my strength and asked, is he going to die? “Yes he is."

It is easier to save a goat with a fever or high temp, but a goat with a low body temp is dying, his body is shutting down and death is near.

I could not do it! I could not load Willie into the back of my car and drive 30 minutes to the Vet to have him euthanized. I could not handle the thought of him dying alone in the back of my car.

So I lay down next to Willie, told him I was so sorry and put my hand on him and waited.

I, and I alone should have done better for Willie. I should have noticed sooner or done something different. How else can you explain the death of such a wonderful little creature?

How many times does a ten year old need to have her heart broken when she is told something she loves has died?

Jordan was in charge of bottle-feeding Willie when he was a small baby, and she would rise up early in the morning and feed her baby boy. We all took turns feeding him, but he was Jordan’s baby.

I dug Willie’s grave out next to Jordan’s beloved Charlie her first kitten that had Feline Leukemia when we adopted him. Next to Cracker the kitten Jordan rescued from the pound that was hit by a car and crawled home to die. Near Jeanne’s dog Ginger and my cat Keek.

I wanted the easy way out, I wanted to bury Willie before Jordan came home from school, but both Jeanne and Aunt Peg said, “No, Jordan needs to be able to say goodbye.”
So Jordan, Tommy, Jeanne and myself gathered at Willie’s grave to say goodbye to one of Gods creatures who brought joy to our home and pain to our hearts.




Goodbye Little Willie

Long Live The Iguana

I feel extremely privileged to have observed wild Iguanas while visiting Costa Rica some years ago. This is perhaps my all time favorite lizard and I am very grateful to be able to share our life with Spike.

Awhile back we adopted Spike from a fellow living a couple of towns away. It was one of those times that I told Jeanne "Be Right Back", whenever I say be right back without saying where I am going, I usually come home with something. Something like a pig, or a snake, a goat, a Tortoise named the Dude, or a green lizard named Spike. I think if I say "be right back again, she just might club me over the head and take my keys away.

Spike belonged to the boyfriend of the sister of the guy who gave Spike to us."
It seems the boyfriend dumped the sister, and the sister left the Iguana with the brother, and he did not want a Iguana named Spike. I must say he did take excellent care of Spike while he cared for him, and even went so far as to purchase the book "Iguanas For Dummies.
I am thankful he decided to entrust us with Spike.



In Central America, where iguana meat is frequently consumed, iguanas are referred to as "bamboo chicken" or "chicken of the trees."
And in Puerto Rico, the island's government is announcing plans to kill as many of the roughly 4 million iguanas as possible. The plan is to train volunteers to capture live iguanas and bring them to a processing center for slaughter and distribution to the U.S. Evidently someone believes demand for iguana meat is high in U.S.

I understand the need to control or eliminate an invasive species, but I love these giant green lizards and I would be disgusted if a "Bamboo Chicken" franchise opened in my town.

Viva La Iwana

My Thing With Snakes!

OK, so how many times have you heard the following, “a soft creamy butter color that rivals the beauty of a yellow rose”? And have you ever heard that description when referring to the delicious butter cream color of a Corn Snake?

This is Capone, and he or she came to live with us from some super nice folks from Norwalk CT.

Randall and his daughters did an awesome job raising Capone and the home that came with Capone is nothing but first class. I thank Randall and Kayla for this wonderful gift and we will take great care of Capone.

The big problem now is Jordan, she wants Capone to live in her room, I want Capone in my room, OK I should point out my bedroom is really Jeanne’s room and Capone is on her side, on her dresser next to Dante, another corn snake. And Tommy wants Capone for his room, not because he wants a snake in his room, more so because Jordan wants it in her room.


The corn snake, or also known as the Red Rat Snake, got their name from old southern farmers who stored their harvested corn in wooden buildings called cribs. Rats and mice were attracted to the cribs to feed on the corn, and corn snakes were attracted to the cribs to feed on the rodents. This was a great way to earn some appreciation from farmers. Corn Snakes, or Red Rat Snakes have a natural range from as far north as New Jersey, south to Key West Florida and then west to the Mississippi River around New Orleans. Unfortunately for me, the corn snake is not a native species of Connecticut.


From Chuck Broxton's Web Site (okeeteecornsnake.com)
The Okeetee corn snake originated on and near the Okeetee Plantation and Hunt Club in Jasper county South Carolina. These corn snakes were popularized by herpetologist and author Carl Kauffeld during the nineteen sixties. His book the "THE KEEPER AND THE KEPT" included the chapter "Life and Death on Okeetee." Corn snakes from this area are a variation of what is known as the classic or normal corn snake. After decades of breeding the term Okeetee has become associated with a certain color pattern morph rather than corn snakes actually from this geographic location.

The Okeetee Corn snake found in South Carolina are considered the original corn snake. I have a friend in South Carolina and maybe if she knows the difference between a venomous Copperhead and a Corn snake, she can send me some.


Below is a very small representation of some of the many different morphs available from private dedicated Corn Snake breeders.

Like a little boy in a candy store, "I'll take one of each please!"