……………..
For three years, Moko was a familiar sight around the beaches of New Zealand’s eastern coastal city of Gisborne, where he swam among beach-goers stealing balls and surf boards. In 2008, he gained international fame after successfully guiding two stranded pygmy whales to safety after human attempts had failed. His actions probably meant the difference between life and death for the whales. Moko was found found dead on the beach at Matakana Island near Tauranga on July 8th. The cause of death has not been determined, but postmortems have ruled out deliberate violence or a boat collision.
(Pictures are click-able for larger view)

…………………….

—————————–

………………………………………………

Moko plays fetch Mahia style ↓

Moko plays ball with beach goers ↓
(video picks up at about 38 seconds)

Hundreds of mourners marked the death of the bottlenose dolphin who won hearts and sometimes annoyed New Zealand swimmers and surfers with his antics. Moko’s body was placed in a blue coffin covered with flowers and was carried through a seaside town last Friday. After the ceremony with over 400 admirers present, his casket was loaded on a charter boat that toured his favorite bays. He was buried privately on Matakana Island, where his carcass was found.

Mascot, friend, lifesaver and entertainer, Moko was definitely a cherished member of this community.
You’ve touched a lot of hearts little buddy…may you rest in peace!

Incredible memories…there have been many of them, some of which may continue to grow, others that may happen only once twice three four times. I have shared the stories of Ace V., Buenaventura and Oscar, I now introduce to you, Cleo.

When Cleo first appeared on the beach, he had a very bloated tummy and was pretty lethargic. My peers friends at the rescue thought he had probably just eaten something that didn’t agree with him and was sleeping it off. By the following morning, the bloating had subsided but he still appeared to be a sick little guy. The fear now was he had been exposed to Domoic Acid. Barricades were set up, and before rescue left a neighbor and myself agreed to rotate every other hour sea lion sitting.

At least I will not be 1) alone in the ocean 2) in the middle
of the night 3) sitting waist deep with a sea lion on my lap. Long story kinda short, by the following morning Cleo had made a remarkable recovery, yet refused to return to the water.

He spent the days soaking up the sun and any and everyone’s attention, the evenings frolicking on the beach and back to the barriers by sun up…for 4½ days.

As exhausting and overwhelming as it was, he was an absolute joy and inspiration. Although bonding with these animals is discouraged, it was inevitable.

There were several times Cleo toyed with the idea of going home but in the end, he always chose his new found home, the barrier.

On day 4 we were told arrangements were being made to relocate Cleo to the Channel Islands. It was obvious he was content where he was, just a little too content. As happy as I was he was one of the few success stories, the news really tugged at my heart strings. A few hours later, I learned Cleo would be leaving the next morning.

——————————————————————-

I walked out to say my good-byes the following morning, as I sat down in the sand, Cleo waddled over to me. Deanna joined us shortly after and snapped a few pictures with my cell phone.

“It’s all good buddy…you will be with your friends…”

“…I will?”

*sniff* “Good bye and good luck my little friend…” ♥

That was the last time I saw Cleo. I was fortunate enough to had been able to spend time with Oscar as he ended his journey and I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to be there as Cleo prepared to begin his new journey.  These are memories I will forever hold close to my heart, memories I will always cherish. These are incredible memories….

Looking back, I know my decision was not the wisest, nor safest…but it was the decision I made at that given moment and I’m glad I did. However…I strongly discourage anyone from approaching any wild animal, (let alone in a dark ocean!) There was a reason for this encounter and I can’t wait to see what it is…

I sat with her for a few hours, alone, just before she passed away. I laughed, I cried. I told her it was o.k. to go, I threatened she better not leave me. I talked and talked and talked (as usual)…she listened, (as usual) occasionally squeezing my hand or just giving me a simple sigh, letting me know she was present in the conversation.

I don’t remember exactly what I did or didn’t say, but I know there was, and never will be enough time or words to say everything I wanted…or needed to say. A few things I may…or may not have forgotten…

• I am sorry for draining your phone battery nearly every time we talked.

• I will miss my $5.00 gift certificates to McDonalds in my birthday card each year.

• Thank you for being my babysitter, my aunt and my friend.

• I will never forgive you for making me eat the fat on my steak.

• I am sorry for not telling anyone you ran out of gas on that hot, summer day when you called for help.

• Thank you for not beating me with that stick you had in your hand when you had to walk home…on that hot, summer day.

• I forgive you for giving me 2 left gloves for Christmas.

• I confess, it was me that hid the hominy in the milk…I didn’t want to eat it!!!

• Thank you for always standing by my side through the years.

• I will always treasure the night, not long ago, we tried on all your favorite hats…and laughed so hard we almost peed our pants. You gave me your favorite one!

• I will never forgive you for reintroducing me to Spice Drops. I eat them excessively…

• Thank you for giving me 5 fantastic cousins!

• Thank you for teaching me the difference between a meat grinder and an apple peeler.

• I forgive you for giving me the ugliest fabric pin and earrings I have ever seen.

• Thank you for letting me “practice” cutting your hair.

• Thank you for letting me “practice” cutting your hair a 2nd time.

• I will think of you every time I’m having a bad day and spray on my “Phuket” body spray. I will include an extra spay each time..for you.

• Thank you for all the Deviled Egg plates. One can never have too many.

• I will never forgive you for making me search every floor of the hospital for your keys, only for you to tell me an hour later you found them…in your bra.

• I miss being able to cry on your shoulder.

• Thank you for slipping me what was probably your last $40.00 under the Thanksgiving dinner table, because you knew the position I was in.

• I’m sorry I told Randy to run from you when he was in trouble.

• I’m sorry I told Randy the “Music Man” was really the “Ice Cream Man.”

• I will never understand why your purse weighed more than I did.

• Thank you for being such a good sister to my mom.

• Thank you for leaving us all with such a precious and beautiful gift…your legacy.

• I will always remember you for your giant, gentle heart, your compassion for all. Your ability to forgive, your infectious laugh, your words of wisdom, your inspiration. I will remember your never ending strength, your Waldorf Salad that I hated, your patience, trust and endless love. I will always remember you for being the best aunt I could have asked for, the best friend I could turn to and the incredible woman that you were.

I will always remember you. Thank you for the memories.
I’m sorry, forgive me and I confess.

I love you!!

Anybody that knows me well, knows I LOVE dolphins! I love just sitting, anticipating a dorsal fin or two to surface and am very seldom disappointed. This time was different, it was like nothing I have ever seen…and I think my aunt came back as a dolphin! LOL. They put on the most spectacular, hour long show for me, it was almost bizarre.
(click on picture for larger view)








As they were leaving, they dove down and splashed their tail fins as if they were waving good-bye. I have never witnessed anything like it..it gave me a sense of peace.

Like I had always done, I picked up the phone to call my aunt and share my excitement..then I realized, she already knew! Love you Aunt Bobbie XOXO!!

I love you and I will miss you more than words can say.
Rest in peace  beautiful Angel…

“HEIDI ANNETTE what do you have?”
Noting she had used my middle name, I assure her, “It’s just a kitten”
“Who’s kitten is it?”
“It’s mine” I said in my proudest voice, “it’s all mine.”
I loved animals and had always wanted my very own cat, something I made clear more than enough times. As persistent as I was, the answer was always the same, you can get one…but not right now. Obviously cats must have been very expensive and my mom was just waiting until she could afford to buy me one. How else would a 7 year old rationalize having to wait?
“No, it’s not yours. Where did you get it?”
Convinced she would be relieved that she would no longer have to put all of her money in a kitty savings, and would be just as happy as I was, I proudly announced to her, “They were free today, so I thought I’d grab me one!”
I wasn’t kidding either. When the nice lady…with the box of kittens…sitting outside of an elementary school…as it let out…told us we could have one for free…today, I literally reached my hand through a crowd of people, into a box, and grabbed me one. MY new cat, Pixie fit in beautifully with our family. While it was made clear that it wasn’t o.k. to bring home an animal anytime I wanted, it doesn’t necessarily mean I didn’t try.

My mom still laughs about that day. I learned fast that it had nothing to do with building a kitty savings, animals are a lot of work…even for a 2nd grader!

That was the first of many “Pixies.” My love for animals, all animals has continued to grow throughout the years. Given the opportunity, I would have 1 of everything…or at the very least a sloth, a bear, a dolphin, a penguin, a deer, a monkey, a kangaroo, a manatee, a elephant, a Shetland pony and a opossum. I would also want an Avery with a large assortment of birds (any color would do thank you.)

I have also done my share of rescuing strays throughout the years. Both of the cats I have now were strays that had decided to claim mi casa as their casa…and they are both purebred Persians. (Seriously, what are the chances of that?) What’s even more interesting is they weren’t siblings, or even playmates, they came to us 7 years apart. I have had a few sick or injured animals appear as well. When I say appear, I’m not kidding. Despite my efforts, some of them recovered and some just didn’t make it. One of the more notable experiences was finding a 4 foot iguana in my garage. I opened the door to get the lawn mower, and there sprawled out on top of it was what appeared to be a mini dinosaur…staring at me. Huh? I couldn’t tell you how long I stood there rubbing my eyes and shaking my head before calling my kids out to confirm what I was seeing. This was one of the many situations that prompted some of my friends to start referring to me as Dr. Dolittle.

After determining he she it was friendly, we offered it some food and water. I sent the kids out to question the neighbors and I started making phone calls. About an  hour later, we loaded him her it into my car and headed to the mini dinosaur expert. It was in need of some medical attention, but was expected to make a full recovery. We went and visited “Mini D” a few times while it was recovering and were happy to find out that the mini dinosaur expert himself, had decided to adopt it. I love happy endings.

One of my favorite babies was Stella2. During nesting season we would end up with a variety of nests. I watched closely each year as the eggs were laid and hatched…naming each hatchling. Shocking, I know. (We had 4 finches hatch one year on the 4th of July. They were appropriately named: Ima, Yankee, Doodle and Dandy. Pretty clever huh?) A few years ago, we had 2 baby mockingbirds hatch right outside our back door, I had named them Stella and Stanley.

As I went to peak at them in the evening, I noticed that Stella was gone. We searched for her that night and then again in the morning…she was nowhere to be found. Stanley continued to thrive and oddly enough, stuck around for about 6 months (we moved, but he’s probably still there!) With his knock-knees, he was always easy to spot and could usually be found amongst a group of finches…with his mouth open. He so loved a free handout!

A few weeks later, my mom called and asked me to come over. Her and my dad had just returned from camping for a few weeks, obviously she had missed me, right? As I walked in grinning ear to ear, my mom came to the door to greet me. So this is what I remember…

“MOTHER what do you have?”
Noting I had called her MOTHER, she assures me, “It’s just a mockingbird”
“Who’s mockingbird is it?”
“It’s mine” she said in her proudest voice, “all mine.”
“No, it’s not yours. Where did you get it?”
(Alright~ so maybe that’s not exactly how it happened…)
They had found the baby mocker on the ground the day before. Thinking it had fallen, they returned it back to it’s nest, only to find it out again that evening. If a nestling is sick or deformed and the parents knows it has little chance to survive, they will get rid of it to make sure the food goes to the healthier ones. My mom knew the inevitable was bound to happen, but did not have the heart to leave it behind. (woot-I taught her well!!!) She brought her home to me  knowing I would be more than willing to keep her warm, comfortable and fed. I named her Stella2.

Having been through this before, I knew all I could do was hope for the best, prepare for the worst and let nature take it’s course. By the 2nd day, I started to wonder if this was my mom’s way of paying me back for grabbing me one of those free kittens. It didn’t seem like Stella2 was sick at all, as a matter of fact, Stella2 had more energy than Heidi. Since she wanted no part of being couped up, this is how we spent a lot of our time.

I really wish there was sound to hear her chirping.

It was this same day I noticed something…Stella2 didn’t have tail feathers. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was the reason she was booted from the nest, but was otherwise healthy. I looked online, everything I found said it was a “sign the bird was struggling to survive.” I then pulled up several pictures of other baby mockingbirds and compared them to Stella2. Although she did not look sick, there was a definite difference when I compared to a healthy baby. Poor Stella2, I hate sad endings.

She lived her short, little life to the fullest and did not have to die cold, hungry and alone. (*sniff* I still get teary eyed…) She was an absolute busy body joy and I wouldn’t have done a thing different. I’m so glad I have these videos!

So I have yet to encounter a bear, a kangaroo, a monkey or a elephant that needs my nurturing…but if I do, you can count on hearing about it! For now I’m content with my 2 cats, Filthy (don’t ask) & Oliver and my turtle, Kiwi.

By the way, did I mention my mom presented Kiwi to me and my kids in the midst of doing a 1,000 sq. foot addition to my house…on top of working 50+ hours a week? When I gave her that you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me look, she smiled and said, “I got it from a lady at work, they were free so I thought I’d grab you one.”
Gotta love karma!