Paying tribute to those who have gone ahead.

We've set aside this page to pay tribute to those who have touched our lives, then moved along in their soul's journey. We offer a heart-felt "thank you" for those who meant so much to us when they lived.

Ron-ron (1991-2005) was special because he talked, listened, played, and was generally my best bud the entire fourteen years we were together. He converted my anti-cat/pro-dog girlfriend to a cat person. He could eat off a fork without poking himself in the eye. He quickly learned I would never deny him the last bite from my plate of anything he liked - lasagna and chicken especially. He was my back-up alarm clock because he always expected breakfast by 5:00 a.m. and was insistent that his demands be met. His favorite perch was the back of the sofa behind my head where he could reach out one paw and leave it on my shoulder while I watched TV, knitted or read. Best of all, when we'd lay on our backs at opposite ends of the bed and look at each other, I would start telling him how he was my bestest, prettiest boy. He'd look right back at me, purring at max volume and wearing an expression on his upside down face that said, "Yeah, I like you, too."
"Ike" Mansfield (1930-2004) - Isaiah "Ike" Mansfield was a hero, a teacher, and a friend. He had no middle name because he didn't need one. He handled a lot of reptiles in his life. He taught me how to call an alligator out of the river and where to rub its throat to put it to sleep. He showed me the beauty of the eastern indigo by introducing me to the one that lived in our cattle pasture. I remember watching this snake lying in the sun while my dad told me stories. As a child, he helped his family through the Great Depression by hunting alligators for their meat, hides, and whatever trinkets he could make out of the teeth. He had a reptile show. He caught indigos and fed smaller snakes to them for the tourists. At the end of the tourist season, he released the indigos in the nearby woods and swamps. He showed me where he released them as a child. At the age of 13, he took his brother's draft card, convinced two different draft officers the information was wrong, and enlisted to see the last parts of World War I. For a man without a high school diploma, he was one of the smartest men I ever knew. I wear an alligator tattoo on my right arm as my tribute to him. Every day, I miss the father he was to me - hero, teacher, friend, and a great dad.
Steve Irwin (1962-2006) - shown here with his wife Terri - provided a major source of inspiration to Mike and myself when we decided to keep snakes. While his antics may have put some people off, his genuine enthusiasm cannot be denied. He lived his life the way most people only dream of doing. He shared his life, his love, and himself unselfishly in his efforts to educate the public about our world's less cuddly creatures. Whether his death resulted from a mistake or was simply a freak occurrence, it impacted us as profoundly as did his life. One of the universe's bright stars has winked out.
 
 
   
 
 

Breeder #300
e-mail Nancy or Mike: bluecatcornsnakes(at)gmail-dot-com
Web Layout and Web Graphics designed by: Designed Insanities