It’s Friday again! And here are Five Things I am happy about:
1. The comfort of this beautiful affirmation: “I always have a choice.”
2. That it’s not Wednesday. (See “The Absent Smile” post.)
3. Having the correct tools for writing a blog:
4. Dear Deer. Earlier this week Riboclavin txted me and asked if I would show him some more pictures of key deer. Why? He just LOVED them, he said, and looking at them made him happy (and I suspect kept his temperature at a healthy status). Some of you will remember my buddy Riboclavin from earlier posts. If not, see Item 4 of “Five Friday Happy Bringers 2/3/12.” I’ve gotten this request for pics of key deer from him approximately every six months since 2006.
Let me explain.
Back in ’06, my older daughter Amy got married in one of those small “destination weddings” on Little Palm Island off the coast of Key West. You know what a destination wedding is, right? Basically it’s where you don’t have to reserve the back room at Ryan’s for the wedding reception because everyone just shows up at the “destination” and–“wham”–every detail is taken car
Little Palm Island amazed me in its uniqueness:
* You had to be sixteen to even take the boat from the mainland and get onto the island. (My 80-year old Aunt Junaluski served as the flower girl. Kidding.)
* No cell phones were allowed in any public places.
* There was only ONE TV on Little Palm Island (in a clubhouse).
* There were private outside showers attached to each bungalow:
All true! BUT what amazed me, fascinated me, intrigued me (and eventually Riboclavin) were the tiny, adorable KEY DEER. They came right up to you to be petted and fed–organic mash mix only (except for a small bag of Doritos I slipped onto the island).
What beautiful little creatures key deer are. An endangered species, they are related to white tail deer but MUCH smaller, the male averaging only 30 inches tall. They live exclusively in the lower keys and swim between the small islands foraging for food (similar to what I did on my stay, dogpaddling for Shirley Temples and virgin daiquiris).
On the wedding day, the little rascals tried to eat Amy’s bouquet:
But we managed to get to the church (okay, the beach) with bouquet unscathed:
When we returned from the wedding, I shared photos with ANYBODY who would look at them. Riboclavin was enthralled (even more than he is with Zach and Cody, and The Suite Life on Deck). BEGGED me to try to help him procure a key deer, as in HAVE ONE AS A PET! Well, of course, I refused. (He wouldn’t pay my $5000 down payment.)
Ever since, I have to deal with txts like this from Riboclavin: “Plz! Luv those key babies! Show pics!” I like having power over people.
(Here’s an interesting article from the National Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Mammals/Key-Deer.aspx
5. Having the ability to breathe deeply and enjoy life.
NealEnJoy 