"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Monday, May 31, 2010

Show and Tail


Okay over at my friend place - Angela's West Virginia Treasures
she asks that we share a pet or animal story on Tuesdays. So here goes.



THE HIPPOPOTAMUS AND THE TORTOISE

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter
much when we need the comfort of another.
We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures.
"Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."

Much of life can never be explained, but only witnessed -

NAIROBI (AFP) -A baby hippopotamus that survived the
tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong
bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal
facility in the port city of Mombassa , officials said.



The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about
300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki
River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore
when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on
December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.



"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a
male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to
be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu,
who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.



"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized.
It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother.
Fortunately , it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond.
They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added.
"The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.
If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive,
as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.



"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and
by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their
mothers for four years," he explained.

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.
"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves. "




One of my most respected men - Andy Griffith - Happy Birthday

Griffith was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the only child of Geneva and Carl Lee Griffith. At a very young age, Griffith had to live with relatives until his parents could afford to get a home of their own. Without a crib or a bed, he slept in drawers for a few months. In 1929, when Griffith was three years old, his father took a job working as a carpenter and was finally able to purchase a home in Mount Airy's "blue-collar" southside.

Like his mother, Griffith grew up listening to music. His father instilled a sense of humor from old family stories. By the time he entered school he was well aware that he was from what many considered the "wrong side of the tracks". He was a shy student, but once he found a way to make his peers laugh, he began to come into his own.

As a student at Mount Airy High School, Griffith cultivated an interest in the arts, and he participated in the school's drama program. A growing love of music, particularly swing, would change his life. Griffith was raised Baptist and looked up to Ed Mickey, a minister at Grace Moravian Church, who led the brass band and taught him to sing and play the trombone. Mickey nurtured Griffith's talent throughout high school until graduation in 1944. Griffith was delighted when he was offered a role in The Lost Colony, a play still performed today in the historic Outer Banks of coastal North Carolina. He performed as a cast member of the play for several years, playing a variety of roles, until he finally landed the role of Sir Walter Raleigh, the namesake of North Carolina's capital.

He began college studying to be a Moravian preacher, but he changed his major to music and became a part of the school's Carolina Play Makers. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and graduated with a bachelor of music degree in 1949. At UNC he was president of the UNC Men's Glee Club and a member of the Alpha Rho Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, America's oldest fraternity for men in music.

17 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

That is such a sweet story! Family isn't always blood related! Love Andy Griffith! Happy Birthday to him!

Annesphamily said...

Sandie you find the greatest stuff! Precious story and it shows how much kindness most animals have and I think they are incredibly good role models for humans! :)

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

Hello Sandi, The hippo and the tortoise. I saw their story on the Telly...I loved it. They are such a joy to watch wandering around together as friends. WOOOHOOOO!!!
Andy Griffith was a unique person. I brought some of his 'Show" series back to Australia with me.
Very nostalgic and SPECIAL.
YOU are a JOY!!!!

Unknown said...

sooo touching! i have always loved andy griffith. i would love to live in mayberry, have my hair trimmed by floyd and my children taught in school by helen.

Susan said...

Awwwww, Sandie, the tortoise/hippo story was great. You find the darnest things! Sincerely, Susan

Rose said...

animals are amazing, you never know what things they can do. rose

BECKY said...

Awwww, Sandie, we are such kindred spirits! I love animal stories, and especially when two different kinds are such buddies! AND, I love Andy Griffith and his TV show, with Barney, Aunt Bea, etc!! Thanks for this wonderful post!!

Angela said...

Hey Sandie!

That is amazing to see a tortoise with a hippo like that! I think the tortoise likes being a mother and having someone to love!

I love Andy Griffith! I loved his show and will still watch it from time to time when I see it is on. Did you know that Don Knotts was from West Virginia?

Thanks for sharing such an interesting story about the hippo and tortoise this week!

Tuesdays' Show & Tail!
Angela

Whosyergurl said...

aw. I grew up watching Andy Griffith. And, I've been to Mount Airy! And, I've seen Pilot Mountain. :-)
hugs, Cheryl

betty said...

that is sweet about the hippo and tortoise!! amazing how nature works like this (orchestrated by God I do believe :)

Andy Griffith definitely is an American legend.

betty

Jennifer said...

The pup in the tutu is not mine - it's a free inage I found - so you can copy it or I can try to forward it to you. Jennifer New friends are made every day.... I have a CT scan today 1 year follow up from my kidney cancer...sigh, keep me in your thoughts...

Melanie said...

Oh, what a great story! I love the pictures too. :)
Andy Griffith is one of my favorite shows! I think I've seen all of the episodes many times, but they still make me laugh!

ClassyChassy said...

Love the animal pictures, and a neat write up on Andy G. - how cool!

Katie said...

LOL The hippo is smiling in one picture!

ocmist said...

Two great stories! Andy Griffith's show was a really good one... I've even got a Bible Study series that was put out using some of his tv show episodes as "parables" and matching them with the Bible verses that illustrated God's ideas.

The story about the baby hippo and the tortoise is also so touching. It is amazing the love that babies and sometimes the unlikely mothers will share. I've seen it so many times as I've shared in some of my Show and Tail posts. Linda

Betty said...

What a great story.

I enjoyed reading about Andy Griffith too. Happy Birthday Andy!

Nancy's Notes said...

Aww...what a sweet story! I am amazed at what you come up with and it's all great to know! I appreciate it so much!

Hugs,

Nancy