A few years ago when we were living in a loft apartment waiting for the house renovations to be completed, a tornado brushed by us and took the roof over our kitchen with it.  I remember telling Paul, “It’s raining so hard  it sounds like it’s raining inside.” And he said,  ”That’s because it is!” With Gracey already tucked safely in the bedroom, I bolted out into the kitchen with rain pouring down on me and lightning flashing everywhere. I grabbed Gracey’s food and my laptop and dashed back into the living room. Later, Paul teased  me by asking what if he wanted a snack. I told him he was on his own and could fend for himself.   We both knew the pecking order; Gracey first.

GAF Roofing Wants to Know What Do You Treasure Most Under Your Roof?

GAF Roofing wants to know what do you treasure most under your roof?   You can win weekly $100 gift cards to The Home Depot by

Roofs (Photo credit: iansand)

sharing photos of what you treasure most under your roof at www.sharewhatyoutreasure.com.  There is also a grand prize to be selected in November to win a $2500 shopping spree at The Home Depot.

For entrants who have a GAF roof on their house, they can win an amazing experience – their unique story could be captured by James Minchin III for the next webisode segment within the app. Minchin has worked with stars like Adam Levine, Mumford and Sons, Jakob Dylan, and Miley Cyrus.

Here’s how to enter the GAF “Share What You Treasure” campaign:

• Sign into www.sharewhatyoutreasure.com app in Facebook, start uploading photos and videos, and tell us what you treasure most about your home and family (your pets, your kids, your vintage car collection, etc.).
• Each user will have a personal page where other users can view their “Fan Collections.”

Prizes include: 

• Weekly winners of a $100 Home Depot gift card
• Grand prize winner to win a $2,500.00 Home Depot shopping spree
• One more GAF roof owner will be selected to be featured in a GAF webisode created by celebrity filmmaker James Minchin III

Enter the Share What You Treasure Contest here

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

Other articles you might like:

• Please Nominate Gracey’s Conservation Cub Club for a 2013 Pettie
• Cheetah Love Our Message to Gracey after Four Weeks
• An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night Book Giveaway

How An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night Came to Be

One of the requirements of the  Master of Zoology program was to write a master plan about how we thought we could  make a difference in the world.  My master’s journey began with the inspiration from an article by Peter Slovic: “If I look at the mass, I will never act”: Psychic numbing and genocide.” This article discusses how the phenomenon of psychic numbing paralyzes humans and prevents them from taking action to help others in need. I thought if this was true for humans suffering, wouldn’t it be true for the big cats too?

Andrew

I wondered if we could deliver a message of hope instead of desperation, of success instead of failure, through compelling storytelling could we lure others into caring about the world around them?  If I could get people to care about one tiger, could I get them to begin to care about all tigers and motivate them to save the entire species?

My master plan focused on big cats and they are considered charismatic megafauna.   The term charismatic megafauna refers to large well-known animal species that garner a disproportionate share of the public’s attention.  The tiger is the world’s most popular animal according to a survey conducted by animal planet. The big cat even beat out the dog for the number one position. These species have the wow factor that grabs the public’s attention to rally to try to save them. The koala certainly is charming, but a small toad….perhaps not.

During the peer review process of our master plans one of my colleagues asked me a compelling question. Tim asked, “How would the results be different if you picked a less cute animal or a non-charismatic megafauna? There are many people that like tigers, but how about something that they do not make stuffed animals or commonly occur in Winnie the Pooh cartoons?  Toads need help too.”

This is an important question. What about all the living beings that aren’t cute and cuddly or fierce and admired?

Driving one day, I thought about toads.  Then I wondered why frogs seem to be the preferred amphibian.  I imagined a young toad named Andrew. I wish I could tell you why his name is Andrew but I honestly don’t know. But I began to tell Gracey, she was a great listener, the story of a Andrew the young toad that wondered if his life might have been better had be been hatched a frog.  And that is how An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night
came to be.

What is your favorite non-feline animal?

I thought it would be interesting and perhaps fun to find out what your favorite non-feline animal might be.  It can be any creature big or small because The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club cares for all animals.  When you leave your comment you will be entered to win signed copies of our new book An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Life.

How to enter:

Just leave a comment below this post telling us your favorite non-feline animal and why they are your favorite.

This giveaway is open to everyone in all countries.

The Rules:

This contest will end on June 30, 2013. Please one comment per person. I will enter all names in to Randomizer.com. The winner will be notified by email or through facebook depending on the contact information you provide. If you connect through facebook, check your Other messages not just your main messages.  Make sure you are watching for an email from us. The subject line will say An Ordinary Toad Winner  Void where prohibited by law.

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Related articles

• Please Nominate Gracey’s Conservation Cub Club for a 2013 Pettie
• Since You’ve Been Gone. Our Message to Gracey
• Compare and Contrast How The Tiniest Tiger Began
• Cheetah Love Our Message to Gracey after Four Weeks

When our friend Linda Castenada heard the news that we had lost you, she quickly sent a message telling us she was heartbroken and extended an invitation to come visit her at The Cincinnati Zoo for some cheetah love. Linda runs the Cheetah Encounter and this past year, she has been raising a beautiful cheetah cub named Savannah. This was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture.  Your dad and I were really touched and thought this would be a fun and interesting thing for us to do together.   Linda and I were in Kenya together while you and your dad were here taking care of everything at home.

We had a great time watching the cheetahs chasing the lure during the show.  The cheetahs have a large area where they can run and play outdoors.  The Cheetah Encounter is where National Geographic and a Hollywood action movie crew  filmed  the cheetahs running in a way that had never been done before for an article in the November 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine.

After the show, Linda met your dad and I and we were given a behind the scenes tour.   We stayed safely behind the yellow line and the front of the cheetah enclosures and were able to meet Sarah, Chance, and Bravo.  I forgot that your dad had never been this close to a big cat before and he was fascinated with just how loud cheetahs can purr.  We learned all about the love and care that goes into their daily diet and enrichment programs.

Then Linda introduced us to Savannah.  I have to tell you that your dad’s eyes were as big as saucers.  He was trying to pretend to be calm and collected but being up close to a big cat, even if it is a young cheetah, can be daunting.  They are long, lean and strong. And Savannah stayed alert, keeping a close eye on us. Your dad was trying to be brave, but I could tell when he reached out to pet her, he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to.

Savannah kept licking my arm.  And I have to tell you, it started to hurt a little bit.  You little guys have rough sand paper tongues and the big cats have even bigger and rougher tongues. Their tongues are designed to help lick flesh off of bone.  My arm was getting red and roughed up but I didn’t mind too much.  Your  dad was content to give her a few scratches behind the ears.

Then Savannah became fascinated with your dad’s cell phone case. She inspected it and left a little tooth mark in the case as a souvenir.  You would have been proud of him, because he was very brave by then and  began to pet Savannah.  This was a great experience for your dad and for me too, but I was super happy that your dad was able to experience meeting this amazing cheetah.

I’ve been fortunate having amazing experiences in Kenya and Namibia as well as at the Cincinnati and Columbus Zoos.  My zoology studies gave me the luxury of being able to spend hours reading, observing and  writing about big cats. I got to spend time with cheetahs at The Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia and track lions in Kenya  and all of this started with you.  You came into my life and I was changed for the better.

On the drive home, I remembered watching the video Cheetahs on the Edge-the Directors Cut.  I was holding you on my lap and we were  mesmerized watching the slow motion video of the cheetahs running. Their movement is so fluid.  The music Be Dark Night by Phosphorescent is haunting. You can’t help but appreciate if not fall in love with the cheetah watching this seven minute film.

So this is for you Gracey, our amazing little cat.  Your parents are doing a bit better.  We love you.

 Cheetahs on the Edge- the Director’s Cut

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Related articles

• Since You’ve Been Gone. Our Message to Gracey
• Cheetah Agility and Maneuverability More Important than Speed
• Compare and Contrast How The Tiniest Tiger Began
• Please Nominate Gracey’s Conservation Cub Club for a 2013 Pettie

Cheetah photographed in Namibia by Joanne McGonagle

Cheetahs might be the fasted land animal but a new study reveals it isn’t speed but extreme agility and maneuverability that’s key to bringing down their prey.  A team from the Royal Veterinary College, UK, working with the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust,  used custom-built tracking collars containing GPS and inertial measurement units to capture the locomotor dynamics of cheetahs hunting in the wild.

In the 1960′s cheetahs were clocked reaching speeds of 64 miles per hour, but research using modern technology shows the cheetah’s speed at 40 mph. These studies were carried out with captive cheetahs and could give little insight into how a cheetah uses their speed in the wild. So researchers collared five wild cheetahs and tracked their movement. These sophisticated collars are capable of of monitoring speed, acceleration, deceleration and location. Data was collected for 367 runs over 17 months.

Cheetahs Rely on Agility and Maneuverability

The surprising results showed that agility and maneuverability were more important than speed during a hunt. Cheetahs are capable of very high speeds, Ferrari, was clocked at 58mph, but the average top speed taken was 33mph, and even this was only maintained for a few seconds. Speed didn’t seem to make a difference between successful and failed hunts.
What the data did show was that cheetahs are champions of rapid acceleration and deceleration. These cats can speed up or slow down by 9mph in a single stride. Their muscle power output per kilogram (100 watts) during acceleration is the highest of any land animal. (Six time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt can produce 25 watts.) Speeding up and slowing down rapidly proved more important in catching prey than just speed alone.

Cheetah photographed running in Namibia by Joanne McGonagle

Traditional thought has been that cheetahs hunt at dawn and and prefer to stay within open grasslands.

Cheetahs photographed at Bellebino, CCF, Namibia by Joanne McGonagle

Out of the 367 data runs, 94 resulted in the cheetahs capturing their prey, a success rate of about 26 percent. This new study showed that cheetahs hunted during the day too.  Although half of the runs occurred in open grasslands, 28 percent were carried out around large trees and 24 percent happened in thick vegetation cover. Trees and shrubs might offer cheetahs a better way to stalk prey, but this new research did not find significant differences in the speed or distances run across the various terrains.

The five cheetahs studied predominantly hunted impala, a type of African antelope, but one male cheetah who preferred hunting in areas with thicker vegetation occasionally hunted warthogs.

Earlier this year we wrote an article, Male and Female African Lions Hunt Using Different Strategy that discussed how it had been  thought that male lions did not hunt, but rather were dependent on the lioness’s hunting prowess to sustain the pride until a study  recently published in the March 2013 issue of Animal Behaviour discussed how researchers used airborne  Light Detection and Ranging (LDAR) measurements of vegetation  structure in Kruger National Park, and combined a global positioning system (GPS) telemetry data on lion kills to quantify lines-of-sight where lion kills occurred as compared to where lions rested. What they found was significant differences in use of vegetation structure by male and female lions during hunts.

Technology is helping researchers understand big cat behavior. The better we understand them, the more focused efforts can be to help save them.

Wilson, A. M. et al. Locomotion dynamics of hunting in wild cheetahs. Nature 498, 185-189 (June, 2013)

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Related articles

• Since You’ve Been Gone. Our Message to Gracey
• Collecting Your Ashes. Our Message to Gracey after Two Weeks
• Please Nominate Gracey’s Conservation Cub Club for a 2013 Pettie
• Compare and Contrast How The Tiniest Tiger Began

Over the last three weeks, we have spent some time reflecting on Gracey’s life with us and I couldn’t help but reminisce about  the beginning of our The Tiniest Tiger community that started out on our facebook page. In those first days we talked a lot about the differences and similarities between Gracey and her big cat cousins.  One of our first photo albums on Facebook was Compare and Contrast. Do you remember this post?

Compare and Contrast

This beautiful tiger lives at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
Notice the stains on her pink nose.

Notice my stains on my pink nose?

Tiger resting in evening

Me again. I know it is hard to tell us apart.

I wanted a stone cave like this at my home.

At least I got a stone floor.

One of two magnificent tigers at Columbus Zoo. They are rotated between habitats. They are a little too feisty to be in the same space right now.

Hazel and I had to be separated for awhile. She was a little feisty too. Eventually she tolerated me.

This stalking tiger was photographed by our friend Tripp Braden, Artist’s Light www.artistslight.com

I know you are confused but this is really me Gracey in my stalking mode. I look just like the tiger don’t I?

Female Lion at The Columbus Zoo

This is like an eye exam, isn’t it? Which is the lion, previous photo or this photo?
Ok, this is me…Gracey.

Leopard stretched out in the grass at The Columbus Zoo

I am stretched out looking at the grass

This Pallas cat is about my size

I have it rough too. These blankets are not as soft as you might think.

This sleepy cheetah lives at The Wilds. Nice eyeliner.

That photo made me sleepy. I think my eyeliner is one of my better features.

Gaia, our beautiful Amur tiger cousin from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, after her Thanksgiving snack.

Me, in my habitat, after my Thanksgiving snack.

Thank you for joining us as we begin to celebrate Gracey’s life with us.

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• Since You’ve Been Gone. Our Message to Gracey
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• Heartbroken and Healing

I didn’t have a headache when I woke up this morning.  I decided  it was time to make the effort to drink more water and  take better care of ourselves.  Although,  I don’t know if your dad is ready to cut down on his chocolate cake consumption because I saw him try to sneak a back up cake into the house yesterday because there wasn’t much left of his other cake and this made me laugh.

Yesterday your dad carefully placed translucent ultraviolet decals in the shape of hummingbirds and butterflies on the windows surrounding your sun room. Lately we have been hearing birds crashing into the windows and it breaks our hearts.  We don’t remember this happening and are wondering if you keeping watch kept the birds from flying super close to the windows.  The decals will act like a stop sign for the birds. They will see the blue shape and veer off in time.  So your dad made sure to not only place the decals on the sun room windows but on all windows, just to be safe.  The decals are barely visible to us but the birds can seem them clearly.

Just when your dad got the ladder out to apply the decals, a grackle collided with a window on the sun room and we found the poor thing stunned and lying on his back in the grass.  He was breathing and able to move his head.  He was disoriented and terrified. When birds fly into windows, they can be temporarily incapacitated due to swelling of the brain.  So I watched him and he carefully turned over and was able to look around and move his wings.

Waiting, watching and hoping.  This reminded me of  your dad and I waiting, watching and hoping you would be alright.

I watched the other birds going about their business from inside the sun room. Flying, eating and singing. And I thought about how it feels to be in a funeral procession staring out at the world from behind the car window watching everyone going about their every day lives while your mind tries to catch up, understand and accept the loss of a loved one.

This  little bird. Was he recovering or was he suffering. I kept vigil standing above your heated thinking circle and felt helpless.

Our world changes when we lose someone. The change is subtle but things just don’t ever seem to look the same again. It reminds me of  the color gels used for stage lighting.  Everything seems to be a different hue. It is subtle yet profound.

At dusk I went out to check on the little grackle  At first I rejoiced as I thought he had flown away but then I saw him. He must have struggled to make it to the center of the yard.  And that was the last of his fight.  He was gone.  I wept for this little grackle.  I felt so sad that he was suffering.

I came back inside and just shook my head when Paul looked at me.  He said I am so sorry.  I know, I answered and we sat at the kitchen counter, just the two of us.  You weren’t there for me to scoop up and hug but I closed my eyes and remembered how it felt to hold you and kiss you on the temple right in front of your ear.

I heard the silverware drawer open.  Your dad was going to eat chocolate cake.

Your parents are doing better.  We really are.  You will always be here with us.

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• Since You’ve Been Gone. Our Message to Gracey
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Our oceans have a great wealth of diverse species but they are in trouble. Climate change is linked to the killing of coral reefs and destructive fishing practices have led to a dramatic decline in many types of fish and sea life we depend on. Today is World Oceans Day so I thought we could spend a few moments thinking about what we can do to help support our oceans.

McDonald’s, one of the nation’s largest single buyers of fish,  announced earlier this year that it would begin serving Marine Stewardship Council certified sustainable fish at its 14,000 restaurants. This proved that responsibly sourced fish ,the once thought to be only a  niche market, was making its way in to the mainstream.

More than a third of consumers polled in 2012 ate sustainable food at least weekly, up from 27 percent two years earlier. According to Darren Tristano, executive vice president of foodservice research firm Technomic: “We’ve seen an increase in the marketing of sustainability for two reasons.  The first is that chains are taking responsibility for sustainability practices that were already in place and also because more restaurants and suppliers have taken a step in that direction.”*

Monterey Bay Aquarium‘s Seafood Watch

Although there is not one definition of “sustainability” as it relates to marine life, most experts agree that it is related to species biodiversity, the number of different species in a given habitat, ecosystem integrity and long-term productivity. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch is the industry leader in information on ecologically responsible fishing practices. Sustainable seafood comes form sources whether fished or farmed that can maintain or increase production without jeopardizing the structure and function of affected ecosystems.

While environmentally friendly harvesting or fish-farming practices may lead to higher costs, research indicates that consumers are willing to pay a premium to eat sustainable seafood.  A 2013 study conducted on behalf of National Public Radio showed that half of those polled were willing to pay more for sustainably caught seafood and according to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute nearly three-quarters of customers surveyed found it important to know the source of the seafood they buy.

While sustainable seafood has expanded in retail environments, both Whole Foods and Target have committed to selling only sustainable seafood in their stores, the concept has been slower to catch on in restaurants. The Technomic survey concluded that 28 percent of consumers looked for products marked sustainable at retail stores, while only 16 percent looked for them on restaurant menus.* But that is changing for the better as the growing availability and customer demand for responsibly sourced fish make it an increasingly smart business move to source, serve and promote sustainable seafood.

Sheba Launched Responsibly Sourced Fish for Cats Too!

Eva Longoria and Nick filming for Sheba.

As the  world population increases so do demands for food and not only for humans but for our feline family members too.  There are an estimated 74,059,000** cats sharing our homes in the United States alone.  That is a lot of food and although we might think there are a lot of fish in the sea, we might consider the source of our cat’s seafood as well as our own.

In March 2010, the global petcare segment of Mars made a commitment to use only sustainably-sourced fish by 2020. As global fish stocks continue to decline, the company aims to achieve the following milestones across its entire pet care portfolio by 2020:

• Only using fish from 100 percent sustainable wild catch and sustainable aquaculture sources.
• Replacing all wild catch whole fish and fish fillet with sustainable fish by-products and sustainable aquaculture.
• Only using sustainable alternatives to marine fish ingredients.

Following the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch^® program sourcing recommendations, which are science-based, peer reviewed and use ecosystem-based criteria, SHEBA Entrées will use only farmed or wild-caught fish from environmentally responsible sources.

SHEBA currently offers five varieties of responsibly-sourced whitefish, tuna and seafood options, and by the end of 2013, all the SHEBA recipes, including salmon, will meet the Seafood Watch recommendations.

Super Hurrah for World Oceans Day and Sheba!

Let’s all celebrate World Oceans Day every day.  From The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club we would like to thank everyone that sources sustainable seafood for not only themselves but for their feline family members too.  Small paws united can make a big difference.  Thank you to Sheba for taking this step toward sustainability.

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* R. Monroe, Flavor & The Menu, 2013 VOL. 14, Issue 3 pp.60-65.

**2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook

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Dogtime Media’s  Pettie Awards recognize the best among pet bloggers each year. Our The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club  won the Pettie for Best Blog Post last year for Cat Obituary Farewell Eastern Cougar.  We were so proud to win for this post because our mission is to encourage you to care for all cats big and small.  We have been nominated  in 2010, 2011 and won Best Blog Post in 2012.  I hope you will help us in 2013 too!

Nominations for the 2013 Petties are now open! Voting not only  helps us win a Pettie, but you can help your favorite shelter or rescue group win $10,000 in the 2012 Pre-Petties $10,000 Donation Contest

Nominating is super easy! Just visit the Petties Nominations Center once a day between now and June 28, and nominate The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club for Best Cat Blog. Nominate your favorite shelter or rescue group at the same time (must be a non-profit 501c3).  I am also fond of the post Since You’ve Been Gone  Our Message to Gracey. This post is extra special to many of us as we talk about the healing process we all must go through when we suffer the loss of our loved ones. I would love to be nominated for Best Blog Post too!

3 STEPS TO NOMINATE

1) Click  here to visit the 2012 Petties Nomination Center  http://petties.dogtime.com/nominations

You can log in with your Facebook account, or you can use an e-mail address. Here is our information:

2)  Best Cat Blog

Nominee URL: conservationcubclub.com

3) Best Blog Post

Nominee URL:   http://conservationcubclub.com/?p=10088   Since You’ve Been Gone  Our Message to Gracey

Shelter Nomination for $10K Pre-Petties Donation Contest: enter the name of your favorite shelter or rescue group (must be a non-profit 501C3)

You can nominate once a day, every day, through June 28!

Voting for the nominated blogs will begin on July 5.

The winning bloggers receive a beautiful statue and a $1000 donation to a shelter or rescue group of their choice.

Thank you!   We  really appreciate your support.

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might be shedding  a few tears. Your dad has decided to wean himself off of comfort food by transitioning from chocolate cupcakes to lemon cupcakes.  I don’t ask, I just smile and envy his metabolism. It is all part of the journey.

At night sometimes I still think I can hear your claws on  your scratching whale and it is still super hard to come home and not see you running to greet us.  Our hearts sink when the key goes in the lock.  You knew when you heard the word “disarmed” that we were coming back into the house  and seeing your big green eyes made us smile from ear to ear.  Your water fountain is still unplugged and stagnant.  I know I should pick it up and put it away.

After work today, I went to the clinic to collect your ashes.  To be honest, I put this off for a few days. Your dad listened to the voice mail message maybe even last week, I am sorry, the days have all run together and I am not certain and don’t seem to care enough to sort them out. But today your dad encouraged me to go ahead and stop on my way home.

I had to steel myself to walk back in the door, the smells, the smiles on friendly faces and the heartache of having to say out loud. “I am here to collect Gracey’s ashes.”   You would be proud because I was brave and stood waiting, emotions all in check.  But then I saw the beautiful little wooden box I chose just after we lost you and that lump in my throat returned. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and I thanked everyone again for how much they cared for you too.

I made it outside and got into the Jeep.  I carefully opened the pretty bag holding your box and I ran my finger over the hand carved design on the top that reminded me of an Indonesian design and that is why I chose it because if you were a tiger, I think you would have been a Sumatran tiger.  You were a petite cat and even though you liked to behave like your big cousin the Amur tiger, let’s be honest you weren’t so fond of getting your paws cold and wet in the snow.  You were much more suited to meditating in the sun in your thinking circle.

At first this made me smile but when I saw  “Gracey” on the name plate,  I felt the emotional wave break and I began to cry so hard right there in my car.  I couldn’t  breathe and my  stomach hurt. I thought I might throw up. I know of course as a rational being that you passed away in my arms two weeks ago, but seeing your name on the box made it seem so final.  Like the exclamation point at the end of a run on  sentence.

I thought I would call your dad and that would make me feel better, but when I heard his voice, I couldn’t speak.  He heard me sobbing and he said, “Oh Jo, I know it’s so hard.”  And then he said “You aren’t driving like that are you?”  And that made me laugh through the tears because you know how he worries.  And I said yes, but I am really fine and he had to think stubborn Irish woman.

There was a storm coming when I got home  and the wind  really picked up.  Your dad and I  were looking out the kitchen  window when Bossy Backyard Blue Jay came to the sun room and was looking inside.  This was the first time  your dad witnessed his behavior.  Bossy then flew over on the perch outside the window and looked in at both of us. He tilted his head to one side and I told him to get back to his pine tree and stay safe.  He stayed longer and the wind was really blowing.  I started to worry something was wrong with him and then he flew away into the pines.  Your dad was speechless.

I think he sees you in the sun room.  I like that thought.

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One day this past week your dad called me and asked if I would bring home a chocolate cake for him.  “A chocolate cake?” I asked.  And he said yes, that he needed comfort food.  I teased him by asking how long do you think you will be requiring comfort food and he answered  “Oh,  about another thirty years.”  We both laughed and it felt good to laugh.  Oh and I did stop and pick out chocolate cupcakes for your dad.  And lemon cupcakes for me.  My resistance is low.

I was home today and it was the first day home alone all day without you.  I made it.  I only started to look for you a few times and when I got the mail, I still went out on the porch with the door shut behind me. Closing the storm door is a habit started to protect you just in case you decided to bolt out the door. You never tried to leave the house, but  I never took the chance.

I opened up the sun room for the first time today. It is unseasonably cool today so I opened the windows and let the cool breeze come into the house.  I saw your little heated thinking circle unplugged and empty.  My  heart sank and I found it hard to swallow.  But I managed to step into the room and look out onto the backyard.

Bossy Backyard Blue Jay visited me.  He was really squawking up a storm too.  I thought I would be brave and go fill the feeders and deliver his peanuts.  I decided that I would wait until your dad came home so we could go out together.

I came back into the office and worked on a few things.   I heard the lawn mower start up and jumped out of my chair to hurry and close the windows to reduce the noise. You really didn’t like the mower interrupting your thinking time in the sun room. I decided to leave the windows open and and saw your little heated thinking circle unplugged and empty.

Your dad came home and  we ate sandwiches again.  Five days in a row.  We don’t seem to care.  I asked if he wanted to join me in filling the bird feeders and he said he would.  We carried the seed, suet and peanuts out into the backyard and worked as a team to fill all the feeders and listened to Bossy Backyard Blue Jay announce our arrival. We didn’t look into the sun room where you would have been watching us.

We walked around the house and were amazed how fast the weeds have taken over the flower beds.  Tomorrow we could work on them for awhile.  We closed the windows because it is supposed to be in the 30′s tonight.  I took one last look at your thinking circle but this time, this is what I saw.

You are in my heart and memory and I can see you in your heated thinking circle when I close my eyes.  And this makes me feel happy.

Your parents are doing their best to go through the motions without you.  It has only been one week.  The longest week we can remember.

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