Y’all, it’s hot outside. I cannot remember a time in Florida when it was hotter. It could be because I spent the weekend at softball practice and working in my attic. Sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way and I did when I went in my attic at 3 p.m. on a July Sunday in Florida to blow insulation. I recommend waiting until a cooler month, you know – like never.
A few days before the attic sauna, I spent the day at Busch Gardens with my mom and niece. As we walked the Edge of Africa I found myself quoting Matthew Broderick in “Biloxi Blues,” “Man it’s hot. It’s like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot.” We perspired and persevered.
While at Busch Gardens I got a Facebook message from longtime Watermark advertiser and friend, Todd Myer, asking if the park was any good since he had not been. If you had asked me that question 10 years ago I would have said, “Yes, it has great rides.” This time around though, I didn’t ride anything. We just walked around and looked at the animals.
I find myself amazed by animals lately. Maybe it started when Watermark Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent and I got to feed a giraffe at Tampa Pride’s Pride-Zoo-La event. We had to walk up a big platform to get level with its head. It was pretty awesome.
Perhaps the greatest animal to walk this earth is a dog. I have had dogs my whole life, and now I have a small kennel. My oldest is a 16-year-old teacup chihuahua named Krypto. He weighs about two pounds and is named after Superman’s superhero dog. My ex was a huge Superman fan, so that’s how he got his name. Krypto does his best to live up to his name, attacking brooms and dustpans with super-canine fearlessness. He did once come nose to nose with an opossum and made it out alive.
Next in line is Coco-Chanel Crosney Claggett. She is my little one-eyed pug. She was named after a famous designer because my boyfriend at the time I got her liked to name pets after famous designers. Do you see a pattern? On our way to Jacksonville to get her we heard a commercial for the “Coco Chanel” movie starring Shirley MacLaine. It seemed to fit her. Coco was a little Tasmanian Devil as a puppy, zooming around the house. We assume she banged her head running into something, causing the loss of one eye at 6 months old. At 14 years old now, she has slowed down a bit.
Coco and Krypto both live in Orlando with my roommate who has been with them their entire lives. When Watermark opened its St. Pete office I got an apartment nearby so I could work in St. Pete as well as Orlando. I have never lived alone, so I decided to get a puppy to keep me company. That’s when I got my beautiful little puggle, Amber Atkins. This time I named her, and I named her after the lead character in my favorite movie, “Drop Dead Gorgeous.” Amber is my baby. She travels with me back and forth from Orlando to St. Pete and she is pure joy. Amber is pictured below at 4 years old.
My fourth and final pup is a new addition to the family. We got her for my husband and the two are an adorable pair. She is pictured below at 5 months old and is a Boston Terrier. Dylan likes to say that she is 50% adorable and 50% monster. You’ve got to love a puppy, right? She is appropriately named after Amber Atkins’ rival, Rebecca Ann Leeman:
It is clear our community loves its pets and considers them part of the family. We decided to spotlight these families with a photo essay of them in their happy places.
We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.
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