Four Degrees of Separation

It is said for each person on earth, there are no more than six degrees of separation between them and everyone else on earth. I thought that was crap but then I found out I was only 3 degrees from a great star of my childhood. I am a friend of Don Peri (1st degree), who is a friend of Ollie Johnson (2nd degree) who is the artist who animated Bambi (3rd degree). Finding out I am only 3 degrees of separation from Bambi was a humongus thrill for me and I revel that I am just two pen strokes and a wooded glade from the critter whose movies still make me tear up.

I am only 3 Degrees of Separation from Bambi

I was thinking of the six degrees of separation thing since yesterday when I found out my friend Don Pendelton (1st degree) has an acquaintance (2nd degree) whose son-in-law (3rd degree) went to school in Australia with Steve Irwin (4th degree). I am only four degrees of separation form a hero of mine, Steve Irwin - the Crocodile Hunter. Crikey - talk about your tearing up!

Of course as a ravid environmentalist and lover of all-things-creepy-&-crawly, Steve Irwin ranks high in the heart of anyone who loves wildlife. On September forth a freak accident ended Steve's life. I've grieved along with millions of others who have adored the guy as much as I do. Who didn't love to see the Crock Hunter, with that happy Aussie face, holding up some godawful- deadly poisonous or aspiring to be deadly poisonous creature, while he reverently cooed, 'Isn't she beautiful!'

That always cracked me up. Steve was genuine - he would coo at those scaly critters with a love and genuine devotion in his voice that is normally only extracted from men on the night of their honeymoon.

I have no degrees of anything with this one

It is marvellous knowing I was only four degrees of separation from such a great guy. To Steve Irwin there wasn't a gangly lizard, a tooth crock or poisonous lizard out there that wasn't lovely. And through him  people around the world began to see in those same scaly critters for the wonderous marvels Steve knew they are. In the past day or so some curmudgeons who say the Crock Hunter's penchant for leaping onto the backs of crocks or flinging himself at venomous spiders and such was exploitation of wildlife, plain and simple. What a crock of the non-scaly sort! That man never leapt on a critter unless he was either transporting it to a safer local, taking it into custody for educational purposes or, gods forbid, just enjoying the beauty of it. I believe the bloke hadn't an exploitive bone in his body.

To my mind Steve's best skill was not that he wrassling wildlife. His best talent was his skill at urging even the most squeemish, reluctant or hard core people to appreciate wildlife. You would watch him dandling that Gabon Viper by its tail as he told you why the critter, though poisonous, was a marvel to behold and had a important place on our planet - and by God, was beautiful. He could turn people onto the sort of wildlife that are not easy to love. I mean, anyone can convince people to love animals with a fluffy Bambi sort of charm, but Steve could make people love & appreciate creatures the other critters out there; the ones with low profiles, smelly breath, bellies that were dragged over hot desert ground and eyes that stared cold, yellow and without the benefit of eyelids or lashes. Thank the Crock Hunter for millions of people who now know the value of snakes, lizards, crocodile and mammals Tasmanian Devils and the like - critters that are far from cute or cuddly.

Turning people onto the less cuddly wildlife, educating, protecting animals and their habitats - that is how Steve filled the scant 44 years we were allowed to have him with us. He sparked appreciation for all wildlife in the hearts of millions and millions of people. We loved him and he was taken from us by a freak accident by a creature he was probably admiring even as it did him in.

Steve Irwin - Crikey! Wasn't he beautiful?

Birthday Treat: Dinner and a Movie

No Whine and Pine today after all. My ankle is right as rain again. Mommy Nancy called and we decided on dinner and a movie. So late afternoon we went to the Tower Theater and saw Little Miss Sunshine. We both enjoyed it, with Nancy alternately laughing and boo-hooing throughout the movie; having just returned from a family road trip she could easily relate. I got no deep meaning out of the film for myself, it just made me laugh, particularly when the little Miss did her show stopping dance at the end of the movie.

After the movie we went right next door to the Tower Cafe Restaurant. I love it there, lovely atmosphere and desserts to die for. As my birthday is coming up, Nancy treated me, which was sweet of her. She had the Irish Guiness beef stew, I had the Jamaica Jerked Chicken with cool citrus dipping sauce, both our dinners washed down with lovely draft beer. It was nice being able to catch up on our summer vacations without having to do the usual wolfing down of lunch and fleeing back to work inside of 30 minutes. Nancy & the family took a family road trip north to Cor d' Lane Washington. Sounded like fun - two parents, 2 young high school boys - all in all there trip was a tad reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine without the dancing.

The Tower Theater & the marvelous Tower Cafe next door (red striped awning)

When I dropped Nancy home I went in to see their new telly - a humongous lovely flat screen. Eventually Rick came home with Tippy the dog, and after a while Adan came home. Never saw Diego because he's at the age where you practically have to make an appointment to catch him home on a Saturday night. Adan cracks me up because he is at the awkward, stretched out like taffy stage. He is tall and thin but I can still see that cute chuffy boy he used to be. What a good natured kid he is. Time really flies; Diego is a senior this year and Adan will be starting at high school this year - YIKES! They'll be at the same school for one year.

I had thought I would just drop Nancy off and trot home but after a week in Flu-Isolation, it was marvelous getting to hang around to chat and watch tv with the family. I totally needed a 'human fix', specially with such nice humans.

Back Among the Living

Hurrah! It is Friday and I returned to work for the second time this week. Apparently my return on Wednesday was a tad premature; I was still running a low fever and my body was totally out of sorts.
I really was quite crippled on Wednesday night and I crutched around the house, sobbing and feeling throughly sorry for myself.
Don't you feel sorry for me because I've buckets of self pity littered around the house just now. I went to the Medical Center Thursday afternoon, by which time I was limping sans crutch so the problem that caused me to make the emergency appointment was no more.
Am supposed to accompany new friends to Napa this weekend for a Wine & Dine tour with outlet shopping & fancy Italian restaurant for lunch, however am considering staying home instead for the Whine & Pine Bore that features old AMC movies, day old pasta for lunch and loads of grumbling on my part. I'll let my ankle decide for me how I will spend Saturday.