PASTELS & CHERRY HEADS

At last weekend's NRBE -- National Reptile Breeders Expo -- in Daytona Beach, Florida, several animals caught my eye. Well, actually, a LOT of animals -- mostly turtles & tortoises -- got my attention. Due to price & animal size -- remember, I was flying & Delta Airlines doesn't want "creatures" in their planes -- just about all my desired reptiles were only just that ... "desired".

I look at all the snakes & lizards, as well, being offered. Heck, I look at EVERYTHING.

I did buy & bring home about a 1/2 dozen books, a couple t-shirts & a good number of business cards from vendors & newly met friends. I try to buy what I can pack.

I went to the annual Expo auction held on Saturday night & previewed the items for both the "live" & "silent" versions of the auction. There wasn't anything I desired so I decided to leave & go have dinner.

But, before I left, I wrote in a bid of $100 for a "life" membership [value - $300] for the TTPG -- Turtle & Tortoise Preservation Group -- since I am already a member & I did not want someone to "low ball" a bid & get a $300 membership for, say, $20/30. Not on my watch.

When I got back to Arkansas, I mailed my check for $100. I'm now a "lifer" with the TTPG. My bid was the high bid. And obviously ... the only bid. I should have "low balled".

I did return home with several "live" items: Two baby "Cherry Headed" Red Foot Tortoises & two small "Pastel" Yellow Bellied Turtles. For the record, I did not carry the animals on the plane. That's all you need to know.

The photo above is a normal Yellow Bellied Turtle. It's a turtle from the Southeast United States, sort of common & they are sold at the Expo for about $10.

The turtle in the above photo is a "color morph" of the same species & such color variations are somewhat rare in hatching's. They also carry a much higher price & are often sold as "Pastels". In my case, they were offered for sale at $100 each & I bought two turtles for $150.

A word about me & the Expo: Unless I find a vendor who is selling some turtle/tortoise I just can not live without & which I am sure waiting on my part to buy the animal(s) may result in someone else buying them before me, I make most of my Expo animal purchases on Sunday afternoon. My reasons for doing so are:

(1) I'll see ALL the animals being offered for sale.

(2) Many vendors will not want to face Sunday evening knowing they have to take their animals back home with them. They came to SELL the animals, not give them a round-trip to Daytona Beach.

(3) "Cash Talks" & I like to "make offers" & haggle. Many vendors don't like that. But, too many animals are over priced & the sellers know it. Heck, it works most of the time on Sunday.

These are Red Footed Tortoises, native to Central & South America. They are easy to keep, common in pet shops & at reptile shows & are a fine "pet" tortoise. I have had several in my collection now for the past few years.

This is a photo of a baby "Cherry Head" Red Foot Tortoise, two of which I bought last weekend ... on Sunday. They were "offered" at $135 each. I bought the two for $230.

Unlike the "pastel" turtles, which are a "variant", "Cherry Heads" are unique to certain areas in South America & are considered a separate species from "normal" Red Foots by many authorities.

I just wanted to buy them because they are more colorful than the Red Footed Tortoises I already have. They are a tad more expensive than the "common" tortoises, which sell usually for about $50-75.

I had a good time & added some interesting turtles & tortoises to my collection. I'll do it again next year, too.

"FLORA-DAYS"

This past weekend marked the 18th year I have traveled to Florida for the National Reptile Breeders Expo. This was the 21st year for the Expo, having started in Orlando, Florida. As the event grew larger & attracted more people, it moved to Daytona Beach 10 years ago.

In past years, I have made attending the Expo a part of my "Florida Vacation", although since I retired, EVERY day is a "vacation". I would visit with my Mother in Wildwood, Florida & arrive in Daytona Beach a few days early to lay on the beach & enjoy the ocean.

Not this year.

As I have done one time previously -- in Orlando -- this year was a "weekend event" for me ... traveling on Friday & returning on Monday.

Thursday was actually the start of my plans for the Expo. That was the day I had to pack up "The Girls" & take them to Foster Animal Hospital. Not only were they boarded there, but it was also time for each one's annual exams & booster shots. There was a lot of "complaining" on the drive to the Vet.

In the great movie, The Accidental Tourist, the character writing travel books, played by William Hurt, points out that when we die, we will probably have to transfer through Atlanta, Georgia. It's obvious. It's one bustling airport.

Friday morning, I had a 6 A.M. flight to Atlanta. Of course, I was at the Little Rock airport before 5 A.M. Airports are filled with all sorts of ... ah ... "different" people. Especially at the early hour of 5 A.M.

Atlanta is the busiest airports in the United States. One of the biggest, too. I used my time before my connecting flight to Daytona Beach to get my exercise by walking the (busy) concourses. No riding the Tram for me.

In Daytona Beach, looking West, from the Hilton Hotel, the large white buildings in the upper left corner make up the Ocean Center complex. The "domed" building is the arena, where the Expo was held for many years. With the addition of the convention center (far building ... completed three years ago) there is much more room for the show itself & the displays of over 500 vendors.

The Daytona Hilton is a great hotel & I always enjoy my stay there, even the two years there were hurricanes. Well, maybe NOT hurricane "Charley". That did a LOT of damage to the hotel & the surrounding area.

The above photo is of the South Tower & is the original hotel, from when it was an Adams Mark Hotel.

This is the newer, North Tower & is the building I always stay in. This year my room was on the 10th floor. All rooms have an ocean view.

Almost every day at the beach is B-E-A-utiful. I thought I was going to "help" for several hours with one of the vendors at the Expo, but plans ... ah ... "changed", so I was able to get in several hours of "beach time" Saturday A.M.

It being Summer time in Florida, the heat & humidity brings afternoon thunder storms. This one circled around from the North & looked quite ominous. However, directly at the hotel, there was very little rain.

I did notice some fools -- standing in the water !!! I kept waiting for them to get hit by lightning. Finally, the Beach Patrol drove up & made them vacate. Spoiled my fun.

And the next day ... another fine day started all over again. It keeps me thinking ... maybe I should move to Florida ... while I am STILL young !!

I enjoyed my (brief) stay in Daytona Beach. The Expo was interesting; lots of unique, captive bred reptiles (NO wild caught) & old friends to see & greet once again, along with new faces & new friendships.

CONFIDENTIAL: I did purchase two "Cherry Head" Tortoises & two "Pastel" Turtles. Don't ask me how I got them home. What the airline doesn't know -- at least in this case --won't hurt them.

Then early A.M. Monday, it was off to the Daytona airport for my flight to Atlanta once again, no less busy than it was previously. I again did my "walking" as well as "looking" at the thousands of people all in the airport "traveling".

I was back in Little Rock on time & made a quick stop at home, mostly to drop off my luggage, take care of the new arrivals & check with my neighbor.

Then, off to the Vet to get "The Girls". I admit ... I cried a bit when I first saw them in their cages; meowing at me, pacing back & forth & "crushing" my hand & fingers as I reached through the bars to touch them. I was soooo glad to be getting them back & taking them home.

Still, Wobs was again hard to get into the carrying case. Not so with Precious & Nibblets. In they went. (But ... they "complained" the whole way home.)

We're all settled back in now. It seems to take a few hours & trips in/out of the house when they first get home -- one goes out, as one comes in -- before all The Girls settle down & get back into their routines.

As for me, despite bringing home a wicked head cold, I had my usual great time at the Expo & my time in "Flora-Days ... with it's ... Blue Sky's & Ultra Violet Rays".

ROYALTY

"Wemus" -- my twin sister -- is having a birthday tomorrow. My birthday is in April.

While not related by blood, I always said Wemus & me were "Twin brother & sister of different parents". Now I guess I will have to start adding, "... with different birthdays". Admittedly, there is -- some -- difference in our ages.

Wemus has been my close friend for -- here we go again -- ah ... let's just say ... a few years. When we are together, great minds DO think alike. Like twins.

This past week, Wemus was again with royalty, when First Bank, in Paris, Tennessee helped promote pro wrestling matches as a fund raiser in that city. "The King" of pro wrestling was in the main event.

Jerry "The King" Lawler, with my twin, Wemus (left).

When I wrote "again with royalty", it is because only a few people know that I am in fact ... a PRINCE !! While Jerry Lawler is a self-proclaimed, "king", my title is a heritage through BLOOD.

I don't go around calling myself "Prince William". There's another one of those, one day to be the King of England. I'm only HALF British, so he's got that "full blooded" thing going for him.

To explain:

My Mother was a "World War II Bride". My Father met & married her over in England during the war. I was born in Rochester, New York, a few years later.

After the war, things were kind of like they are now: no jobs & a lousy economy. War is always a stimulator for business. Without war, things go kaput.

Our family traveled to California -- think ... Grapes of Wrath -- where my Grandparents on Dad's side lived. Things were not much better for our family out there.

We lived in a trailer. Not a "mobile home". A TRAILER. Think, small Air-Stream. I've got pictures to prove it.

As the story goes -- I was about two years old, maybe a bit less -- Mom went with friends to a show called "Queen For A Day". It was on radio & television for years.

Somehow, Mom got on the show & the audience voted her sad story -- she wanted a new hot H2O heater for that trailer, as the one in it had open flames & thus too dangerous for a young, learning-to-walk, baby -- as the winner. Thus, my Mother, was (actually) crowned: Queen Hilda ... Queen For A Day !!

[This may have been the advent of "Reality TV".]

NOTE: There was an actual 78 RPM record of the show, which we had & I once heard. What a hoot. Sadly, my Aunt in England had the record, but she died & the record seems to have gone with her.

My Mother got all sorts of gifts, including the "safe H2O heater", & her & Dad were flown to North Carolina to preside over the Azalea Festival . Guess who got left behind in California ??

Well, since my Mother was OFFICIALLY a Queen ... that made me a Prince !! And even if her title was "For A Day", no one put any disclaimer on MY title. I am still ... PRINCE WILLIAM.

Now a true Prince must have a throne. It just so happens I have had a new one installed in my house, more than suitable for my "Royalness".

It's a Kholer ... 17 inches high.

Now... that's a "throne" ... fit for a Prince.

Peasants !!

ANOTHER ... "ADDICTION"

I've written previously about my excessive amounts of paper & envelopes. I've got a closet full of those items in my home office.

Many times when I have utilized photos in my blog of my cats, they are pictured on one of the two desks I have. While intending to illustrate a "cat posting" for the blog, some folks have noticed one of my other "addictions": writing instruments.

Here we have (again ... this really is turning into a "cat blog") Wobs & Precious

taking over the middle of my desk. This is a favorite past time -- especially for Wobs -- & there are few mornings when I ever have the desk all to myself.

In the back ground of the photo are some of my currently utilized pens, markers, & highlighters. There are others, not in the photo & more on the table behind the desk. These are the "favorites".

Then, there are other writing supplies, many still on the blister cards from when I bought them. They are the "reserves". Some of them are in the closet, too. Others scattered in several boxes.

Why so many ... why so much ??

I guess I have always loved colors & shapes. I can remember even as a youngster in grade school, having different pencils & pens. I was always drawing & sketching ... usually when I should have been paying attention to another subject. The teachers would take my paper & pencils ... but even then I had "reserves".

I was an art major in high school & an advertising & fine arts major in college. I became an "artist", but more for my own pleasure & satisfaction. Nothing much "commercial".

When I was getting my divorce, I sold all my paintings. Some of them I wish I still had, but I needed the money to survive. I guess I was a "starving artist", but I do have both ears.

From then on, I never went back to painting or sketching. That part of my life ended.

Now days, it's just colored pens & paper for me. When I want a certain color & texture of paper, I may need a unique type of pen/marker/highlighter to go with the paper surface. If I want it/need it ... I've got it.

That's my story & I'm sticking to it.

FUR HELPER

The heat & high temperatures are in the forecast to return through out the coming week. Back we go to temperatures of 100 degrees-plus.

We've had a few showers the past few days. Only once did we have any serious wind with the rain. I'm still working outside, cleaning up the sticks, tree limbs & leaves which blew down.

The other times it rained, all we received was a lot of thunder & steady rain. Good for the ground, grass & trees. Wait ... now I'll have to start cutting grass again. Darn !!

The change in the temperatures did make it feel more pleasant outside. Funny how a temperature of 90 degrees can feel "cool", after a solid week of plus-100 degree temperatures.

The humidity factor took quite a jump with all the rain showers. It was at 90% earlier today. That's the kind of humidity you can feel as you breathe. "Heavy oxygen".

The day almost did have a very tragic & sad part to it today.

Earlier I spent several hours today working in the Southern part of my land, still cleaning up storm litter. Burning it, too.

I returned from the house -- H2O break -- to find my Mother cat, Precious, laying on the ground, obviously attacked by either a large dog, or one of the coyotes which are all too abundant in this area of the state. Maybe even a bobcat. We've got those here too.

My mind racing, I ran to her side, ready to face the worst of scenarios.

Oh ... she was just BACK NAPPING again. [I think I heard her snoring.] I guess she was just worn out from "helping" me ... in the high humidity. After all, she does wear a fur coat all the time.

NOTE: Precious has been on my lap -- snoozing on her stomach for a change -- while I typed this post.

... BY POPULAR DEMAND

Recently I have been thinking of starting a secondary blog ... one devoted to writing about my cats. I've done so many posts about them, I am sure the "cat haters", viewing my blog thinking it is strictly about bamboo, must believe they are getting tricked into a "cat blog".

Trust me ... there are a lot of written comments left in response to my posts which I never allow to get added to my blog. [I guess it does get boring, scanning the Internet all day, while living in their parents basement. It shows in the grammer & spelling.]

Still, it's MY BLOG & those not wanting to view it can just F ... ah ... "click off".

This is a recent photo of Precious (top) & Wobs in the "Kat Kondo".

Wobs gets the most usage out of the furniture, being in it at some point almost every day. Since one of the objects of the "Kondo" is to offer a sense of height for the cats, I'd say that Wobs has found it to her liking for that reason.

Many a time while I am adding to this blog, one or more of the cats will be with me, including now, when Wobs has been making it difficult for me to type OVER her, since she has spent much of the time laying on the desk, between me & the keyboard.

So there ... on the blog named for "Big Bamboo", but which very little is actually written about bamboo ... back, by popular demand, are Precious & THE WOBBLER, two of my three cats.

IMPORTED & DOMESTIC

It's getting to be a regular event in my life. Every other Wednesday, I make a trip into North Little Rock, to the Post Office located in the Rose City section of town. At that P.O., I have rented a "box" -- actually, it's a "drawer" -- since I have lived in Arkansas. I get quite a bit of my mail at that location.

When I lived in Memphis, I also rented a "box" at the local Post Office. That's were I learned I get too much mail -- in the form of subscriptions, newsletters, magazines, correspondence, etc. -- for a standard size postal box. I "up graded" when I came to Arkansas & got the much larger "drawer".

Originally, all those many years ago in Memphis, the idea of having my mail delivered at the Post Office was because I was not pleased with the way my mail was delivered at the apartment complex I lived at. Too much mail was incorrectly delivered & magazines & other larger items where placed in a communal area. No privacy or security.

For some time now, my Mother in Florida has been baking "goodies" & mailing me a package of cookies &/or brownies. She does this every other week & mails them to me on Monday. Thus, via Priority Mail, I get my package at the Post Office on Wednesday.

Well, right on time yesterday, the latest package was waiting for me to pick up.

Most of the time the package will be in the drawer, but sometimes there is not enough room for the package, depending on how much other mail I have & how many days it has been since I last picked up my mail. [I usually only go to the Post Office about twice a week.]

Sometimes I have to go to the counter to retrieve my "care package". The folks who work there all know me & have caught on to the routine that the contents of the package they are handing me are cookies my Mother has made for me.

On the way home yesterday, I stopped at the local farm which sells produce in season. Normally, I ride my bike there, but yesterday -- remember it was HOT yesterday -- I decided to drive up to the selling area.

This farm -- Faulkner Lake Farms -- has excellent produce. It's tomato time in Arkansas & I selected four beauties for sandwiches & salads.

The above was my haul for the day:

IMPORTED (All the way from Florida) -- Peanut butter cookies, brownies, & five Necco Wafer candies ... since they where a favorite of mine as a kid -- still are -- & Hilda remembers.

DOMESTIC (Arkansas) -- B-E-A-utiful tomatoes. Delicious, too.
_____________________________________________________

NOTE: F.Y.I., to those who shall remain un-named, the candy was bought at the CVS in Wildwood, Florida. I am sure the CVS also sells the BIG, "unsharable chocolate bars" some people like to eat ... by themselves.

GREEN ... "PROOF"

The terrible hot weather happening in central Arkansas seems to be letting up.

After an "official" high temperature yesterday of 107 degrees -- the high temperature at my home was 102 degrees -- it cooled down today to an "official" 104 degrees.

I could feel the difference here as well today, as it only made it to 100 on my thermometer.

I'm still hauling water & running garden hoses, trying to keep many of the trees on my property watered & prevent their dying from the heat & dryness.

We may get some rain tomorrow and/or Friday. That's the forecast. But then, it is for "scattered showers" & only a 40% chance of those occurring.

With the heat & no rain, very little grass is growing. At least I'm saving time & money; no grass to cut & no additional gas tank to fill. [I paid $2.60 a gallon to fill only my truck today. No gas can went with me.]

There is one part of the yard where the grass is not brown & dried. I may still have get out the mower to cut that area this week.

The land directly South of the house has growing, green grass. Since other parts of that area of my property have either brown spots, or the grass has stopped growing, the grass in this area really stands out as needing to be cut.

It's the area where the septic tank is located & the "strips" of green grass are the leach beds buried in the ground. This part of the yard gets plenty of water & ... ah ... "fertilizer" ... to keep the grass growing & thriving, despite the rough weather conditions.

That old saying is true: "The grass is always greener over the septic tank". My yard is proof.

ARKANSAS IN THE SUMMER TIME

Earlier in the year, I published several posts dealing with the Winter weather conditions I was experiencing in Arkansas & my lack of tolerance to the snow, ice & cold weather. The older I get, my dislike for such weather only increases.

Well, now here I am in the middle of a broiling Summer heat wave that has settled right down on the state. At 6 P.M., as I sat down to write this post -- with, of course, Wobs snuggled into my lap -- the temperature was still 100 degrees. I am sure the "official" high temperature recorded by The Weather Bureau will be more than the 102 degrees I had locally this afternoon.

I've got one of those fancy, smancy weather gadget thermometers which gives the temperatures -- indoors/out -- along with a forecast. The time is "official", being transmitted from someplace in Colorado (I think) ... which deals in that sort of thing.

At 1:38 this afternoon, it was 101.2 degrees on my gizmo & the forecast offered no relief, showing the symbol of the sun to continue the hot weather.

After all the bad Winter weather, the extremes of the Summer season are fully upon the state & no let up is in sight. There are more days ahead where the projection is for sun & 100-plus temperatures.

But ... I LOVE THIS WEATHER !!

Keep the snow, ice & freezing rain. Give me warmth & the sun. [I really should live in the tropics !!]

I was out walking/jogging this A.M. when the temperature was 88 degrees. After that, with temperatures in the mid-90's, I was hauling water & running water hoses to trees & plants.

When it got REAL HOT -- see the first photo again -- I was in the dry creek bed, raking & burning leaves having fallen from the trees & bamboo. "Someday" -- who knows when -- the rains WILL return & I need to keep the creek cleaned out so there will be a lesser chance of flooding due to debris in the water. This task is always on my project list.

I like this kind of yard work & the hot weather does not hinder me. I do take "breaks" & be sure to drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated. Plus ... I just like to burn stuff !!

When I finished my creek burning, I was certainly ready for a good shower. But, before retiring for the day, I got my bicycle out & "rode the roads" for about five miles. Hot weather & a sweaty rider. A good combination.

I do wish it was a bit cooler. These are EXTREME temperatures ... which are not good for man, beast or Mother Nature. But, compared to Winter time, I'll ALWAYS take the heat of an Arkansas Summer.

LINDSAY & ME ??

The news early this A.M. featured a story on Lindsay Lohan getting out of jail. She had been sentenced to 90 days in jail, but was only there about two weeks before they released her. Say hello to California justice.

Lindsay Lohan is in the news a lot, mostly for her night club visits, appearances at various functions & being photographed in an intoxicated state, with or without her underware on. What would the tabloid magazines & TMZ do without her ??

From what I gather, Lindsay went from jail directly to a rehab facility at UCLA in Los Angeles. There she will be in a program for alcohol & drug addiction.

Lindsey will be in the in the program for the full 90 days. Full term this time. No early release like jail. Rehab can be a bitch.

Maybe I need to check into rehab for MY ADDICTION. I don't seem to have much control over my vice, so I doubt I can over come it on my own. There must be some facility or medical unit that can help me gain control.

The first step is to face my addiction & admit I am addicted. So here goes:

I'M ADDICTED TO COLORFUL PENS, PAPER & ENVELOPES !!

I love color, no doubt from my early artistic education & career. Where I once dealt in paint & canvas, now days it is writing & artist pens ... vast reams of colorful paper ... along with brightly colored envelopes. [The only mail outbound in plain WHITE envelopes would be payments in provided envelopes.]

When I go to Memphis, I always stop at Art Center Supply on Union Avenue. I do damage every time I go there. I may buy three or four pens of the same color . Doesn't matter. Got to have them.

In the Little Rock area, I'm a regular at Office Depot & at Michael's. Whether it's highlighters, or new notebooks & sketch pads, anything new or different, along with a different color or new size; I'm at the checkout counter with my Visa card.

This is the closet in my home office. It's getting full. Lots of paper & envelopes, along with notebooks & sketch pads. When I need something ... "just right"-- be it color or size ... I'm sure to have it. No running to the store. [I've got more inventory then a lot of places.]

I had to add an additional shelf to the closet. I may have to add more.

When it comes to pens, writing instruments & any color marker or highlighter pen, I've got those too. Hundreds. Maybe in quadruple digits. [More than I can count & too embarrassed to add a photo of them ... for now. Those may be the subject of a future post.]

I don't know what kind of "help" Lindsey Lohan will be getting for her 90 days of therapy. For me ... I need to be able to somehow cut back on my spending & acquisitions ... or ... buy a bigger house. Maybe, just the addition of an extra room.

Lindsey should have it so easy.