One Year Later: The Grief Continues

By Tina Michelle Cameron 

Today marks the one-year anniversary of making the difficult decision to send my sweet Haley Michelle-my beloved Yorkie over the Rainbow Bridge. My first blog was about her because it was so fresh and raw; today, one year later, it is still so painful. Pet grief is real. People that are not dog lovers do not understand. Haley was in my life for almost ten years. She brought such joy to my life and to my sons lives (even though they thought she was a girl’s dog and thought I was crazy to dress her up in dresses). They grew to love her and even talked sweet baby talk to her. She was always so happy to see them when they came home and couldn’t wait to greet them at the door when they returned home from college for the weekend.

Call me crazy, but Haley was “my daughter I never had”. I often joked I didn’t have to send her to college, I could take her places with me, dress her up in dresses, pajamas and hair-bows (she hated the hair-bows and could shake them out in about 10 seconds). She loved cheese and knew where it was located. Like clockwork every morning, she would go potty and then return and sit in front of the fridge until she got a small bite of a cheese stick. When she was a puppy, every night, she would carry her baby (stuffed animal) up to bed. She would go tell the boys goodnight and sit outside their door until they told her goodnight.

Haley was sick from 8 months on with several major illnesses and each time she would get sick, I thought it was going to be time to say goodbye. She went into liver failure at age 2 and I was told she would not live to be four. So, I decided she would eat whatever her little heart desired. Besides cheese, she loved Cheetos and chicken. In a million years, I never thought at almost 10 years old, her liver enzymes would be normal, and she would be diagnosed with a rare pancreatic cancer. This cancer would ravage her tiny body. First, with weight loss (despite having a great appetite), then with low blood sugars, seizures, no appetite for food or water followed by bleeding. Twelve days after diagnosis, I made the difficult decision to end her suffering. I wrapped her in one of her blankets, held her and told her how much I loved her through the tears. Before I could get the words “I’m not ready yet” out of my mouth, the second medicine was given by the vet and it was over. The sweet vet tech took a picture of me holding her just before that and Haley perked up for a second, looked at the camera (she hated having pictures taken) and appeared to be smiling and at peace. I know I did the humane thing by ending her suffering, but my heart still hurts. I still cry when I think about her. My sweet daddy came over that afternoon and we buried her in my backyard. I allowed my other pets to see her and say goodbye. I made her burial site a little flower garden which makes me smile when I look at it.

Peyton grieving the loss of Haley

The loss of a pet is real and painful-not just for the owners, but also for the other pets in the family. Peyton, my other Yorkie is still not herself. She stares out the window for most of the day, doesn’t play like she used to, and will cry on my lap for no apparent reason. I know with time, my grief will get easier, but for now it is still painful. Writing about her today on the first anniversary has helped me get through the day.

Zookeepers are Special People

By Tina Michelle Cameron

If you follow my blogs, then you know that I am a huge animal lover and you know that I have been a volunteer at Riverbanks Zoo since July 2017. I volunteer in The Farm and Zebra/Ostrich areas. I have the pleasure of working with several amazing people who are full-time zookeepers. I decided to write about them and let everyone know a little bit about these special people who I have the privilege of working with.

The person that interviewed me when I applied to become a volunteer and that I have

Jessica

worked the longest with is Jessica. She is 27 years old, married and a mommy to a beautiful 5-month-old little boy. She also has several fur-babies at home. She has always had a love for animals and has always wanted to work with animals since she was little. When she was in high school she volunteered at the zoo and realized that was where she wanted to be. She has been a keeper for 8 years. She went to Purdue University in Indiana and has a BS degree in Animal Science.

Her favorite animal is a jaguar, but her favorite animal at Riverbanks Zoo are Plum and Basel—who are two of our new baby goats. She loves knowing that she is a part of enhancing the lives in the care she gives the animals and with teaching the public new facts about the animals. Her hobbies include hiking, kayaking, and going to the beach to fish.

Mallory is 32 and from North Carolina and is also a mommy to fur-babies that include a dog and 2 chinchillas. She also served 6 years in the Air Force. Mallory also knew growing up that she wanted to do something with animals. At first, she wanted to be a marine biologist or a vet tech, but then discovered a

Mallory

zoo-keeping program and became a zookeeper. She has a degree in Zoological Science Technology. She has been at Riverbanks Zoo since 2017 and was recently promoted to a swing keeper and is working in the cat/bear area. How cool is that to work with lions and grizzly bears.

In addition to all that she has accomplished, she also has an Elementary Education degree. We have become good friends, and this was a new fact I learned about her this week. Her favorite hobbies are gardening and photography, and her favorite animal is the platypus because it is an egg-laying mammal! Her favorite experience she has had was going to Kenya for 20 days last year to see how conservation efforts work and how they protect the animals there.

Last, and certainly not least, is Laborde- “the only male in the Farm area” as we know and love him. Laborde is 30 years old and has been in the zoo “industry” as he says for 6 years and a zookeeper for 18 months. He has an

Laborde

Associates Degree in Zoo Animal Technology from Santa Fe College. He will be leaving the Farm area as he recently was promoted to work with the gorillas/monkeys.

He knew he wanted to work with exotic animals without having to travel. His favorite animal are alligators. He enjoys going to swamps and finding them. He also likes working with the Capuchin Monkeys- he says, “they have so much personality and intensity; and, it is like watching reality TV every time he works with them”. His favorite experience as a zookeeper was taking the ponies into the river at the zoo. He also enjoys watching You-tube.

I hope you enjoy reading about some of these wonderful zookeepers that I get to work with. I have learned so much in my time there about animals and conservation. Zookeepers get to know these animals, their behaviors, mannerisms and will notice if something is wrong with them. They work in the hot, cold, and rainy weather. They must also watch the weather in order to keep the animals safe. They are caregivers and educators; so next time you visit the zoo and see a zookeeper, thank them for what they do—because they deserve it.

Enjoy the photos.

Honoring our Dads

By Rachel Sircy 

This past weekend was Father’s Day, my sister’s wedding, and my nephew’s birthday party. Sound busy? You have no idea.

I want to dedicate this blog post to the man who made all three of these things possible at once, that is my stepfather, Bob Wachenschwanz. He’s a man with a big last name and a bigger heart. Not only was my sister’s wedding this weekend, but my parent’s backyard was the site for the reception. A party tent had to be erected, tables and chairs set up, decorations set out and then all of it had to be cleaned up that same day. Bob – with help from my sweet husband (also a wonderful Dad whom I would like to honor), my brother, new brother-in-law and the groomsmen – did all of this, and still managed to walk my sister down the aisle, take my nieces and nephews on a wagon ride, and host a dinosaur-themed birthday party. At one point before the wedding, a strong wind knocked over the party-tent and badly damaged one of the poles. The groomsmen gave the tent up for lost, but then Bob showed up with his multi-tool in hand and straightened out the pole by himself. One of the guys said that he must be Macgyver, which is actually what my sisters and I used to call him when he and my mother were first married. We also referred to him as Bob the Builder – after the children’s TV show character, because the theme song to that show goes, like this, “Can he fix it? Yes, he can!”

I am sharing this story because this weekend I was reminded what a treasure I have in my stepfather. I wanted to thank him and let him know how much I love and appreciate him. Men who put in the time and effort to love and care for their children are hard to come by and I don’t want to take Bob for granted.

I want to encourage all of you readers out there to take some time this week, or this month, to think about and show your appreciation for the wonderful Dad in your life – whether he is living or is gone, if he’s your stepfather, uncle or just a dad you happen to know. Let him know that you see his hard word and you are thankful for him!

Summer Road Trip Series Part I: Go West Young Man

By Marianna Boyce

Have you ever heard of Sierra Vista, Arizona? It’s a great little city in Cochise County about twenty miles north of Mexico, but 1,921.5 miles west of South Carolina. You’ll discover the reason Sierra Vista holds a special place in my heart as we travel west for my summer road trip series.

In a day where everyone is in a hurry to do everything, flying the friendly skies makes more sense, but my preferred method of travel is the traditional American ‘let the top down’ road trip to see the beautiful sights our country has to offer. Gerry and I have done both—many times.

We embarked on this long journey with our daughter Tiffany and her family in 2015. Our son Cody was unable to go with us, but he expressed interest in our taking the same exact route to this special little dot on the map the following year. He knew it wouldn’t take much to convince me of another opportunity to drive west.

I had kept a journal of our original trip, so we easily charted the same course in 2016. It was awesome knowing exactly where we were going and how long it would take to get there; but for this adventure, we made no hotel reservations. We threw caution to the wind and prayed God would protect and have us in the right places at the right times. Talk about faith. Be sure to read my future posts to see how that worked out for us.

Of course, as a woman, I packed everything but the kitchen sink days in advance. It was neatly organized in the dining room waiting for our departure day of June 8. I even packed lime green spray paint…

Gerry was slated to drive the first leg of the trip, so he took the day off to rest while Cody and I worked. Once I arrived home, Gerry neatly arranged everything in the trunk of my light sage-colored Lincoln MKZ. Over the years, I’ve learned this process is much easier when I’m not involved. His goal was to leave the backseat open for whoever needed to rest or just enjoy the ride. The only thing he tossed inside the car was a comfy pillow and my purse.

We planned to leave that evening in order to travel as far as we could while traffic was light. Have you ever driven through Atlanta at lunchtime? Exactly!

After a quick burger, fries, and frosty at a local fast food restaurant for supper, we embarked on our wind-in-your-hair road trip. I chose the backseat to start our journey, but took a silent vow to leave my backseat driving instructor mentality at home. I can’t express how difficult that was for me.

The sun was blinding as it set in the western sky, so I put on my sunglasses, placed that comfy pillow behind my back, and propped my bare feet up on the console in front of me. “Go West, young man,” I recall saying to my husband. “Life is good!”

We drove west on I-20 all night and left South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi in our rear view. There’s not much to see at night, so Cody—being in line to drive—catnapped. My job was keeping whoever was driving awake, but I was still careful to leave my backseat driving wisdom at the house.

After twelve hours, we decided to stop in Monroe. The sun was peeking over the eastern horizon, so we thought stopping for a hearty breakfast at Waffle House was a great way to greet the new day. Not to mention, we were also in desperate need of strong coffee.

For those who remember the television show, Duck Dynasty, the Duck Commander store was only a few miles down the road from Waffle House, so we stopped by to see if Phil, Willie, Jase, or Si were there. It was still very early, so their store was closed. We walked around in the parking lot for a few minutes before heading west again on I-20. It felt good to stretch our weary bodies after the long ride.

 

With the first leg of our trip in the books, Gerry took over the coveted backseat to get some much-needed sleep. Cody gladly took the wheel while I rode shotgun. I gave him a tough choice between me or Siri as his trusty navigator. He chose wisely: Siri it was.

From Louisiana, we headed toward the great state of Texas. Of course, any amazing road trip wouldn’t be quite as good if you didn’t sing, “On the Road Again,” in your best Willie Nelson twang. In spite of mine and Cody’s bellowing, Gerry was asleep in mere moments…

*The photos used in this post are personal photos from my amazing road trip. They may not be the best quality, but they are all near and dear to my heart. Enjoy!*

My First Trip to the Greenville Zoo

By Tina Michelle Cameron

Today I went to Greenville for the first time and went to the Greenville Zoo. It is in the middle of the city on a cute little side street not far from the interstate. As many of you know, I love animals and I am a volunteer at Riverbanks Zoo going on 2 years.

The Greenville Zoo is smaller than Riverbanks, but it does offer a wide variety of animals to see. It has a park/playground area and picnic area near the entrance. It is very affordable, and the map is easy to read. Despite the hot weather, there was a breeze and it was slightly overcast at times. Apparently, when I arrived at 1:20 pm I had just missed all the school buses leaving, so it was perfect. There were only about 15 people walking around.

There are a variety of animals to see from different species of monkeys, to lions, to an alligator, snapping turtle, and a red panda. The food prices were reasonable, and the staff were very friendly. The animals are surrounded by lots of trees and plants and they all looked happy. There are also areas for small kids to play in.

So, if you are looking for a short-day trip, Greenville is just up the road about 90 minutes. Enjoy the pictures of my afternoon.

 

Wrapping Up Celiac Awareness Month

By Rachel Sircy

Well, May 2019 has come and gone. It’s no longer Celiac Awareness Month, but I would encourage each of you who either have celiac disease or know someone who has celiac to continue to spread the word. It’s a real issue and it should be taken seriously.

My post this time will be an extremely short one (for me), because my husband and I have just moved and we’ve also had family in town for the Memorial Day holiday. I managed to stay completely gluten free for the holiday, and I realized this past Memorial Day that staying gluten free is becoming very do-able. Of course, it’s still a matter of reading labels very carefully and also of cooking your own food, or eating food cooked by someone you trust – I must here give a shout out to my mother-in-law who is so careful to make sure I have plenty to eat, even when she’s cooking to feed a large gluten-eating crowd.

Let me end this month with a hopeful note: we are farther along in medical research and in the ease of a gluten free lifestyle than we’ve ever been! Just today while grocery shopping, I came across fresh gluten free linguine and fettuccine at very affordable prices at Aldi. Later, by random chance, I stopped by a Food Lion store that I don’t usually shop at only to find that they had a huge gluten free section. Food Lion isn’t typically a store I shop at because many of them don’t carry a large selection of gluten free items, but at the Food Lion in the Three Fountains area of West Columbia I stumbled upon a vast array of Schar products including: baguettes, ciabatta rolls, graham crackers (the Schar graham style cracker is my absolute favorite), Gillian’s brand croutons, Amy’s microwavable macaroni and cheese cups. It was a treasure trove. I will be going out of my way to visit that Food Lion again. So many stores are stepping up to meet the needs of the gluten intolerant. We are in a good place, and I believe it’s only going to get better from here. So, head out there and look for some GF hamburger and hot dog buns and enjoy your summer! (Just FYI: Aldi runs GF hamburger/hot dog buns as a summer seasonal item, though they tend to run out quickly, so if you see them there, get as many packs as you can afford. Also, that Food Lion in West Columbia had Schar hot dog buns)