See ya later alligator...literally

This is kind of unbelieveable to me. I live in a small town dominated by a river. Tiny little town right between the river and the ocean. Commercial fishing still goes on here but it is an ever dwindling trade. This being the South combined with this water means alligators. Big alligators too. When I was growing up we had a huge gator by one of the fish houses. We always kept an eye out for that guy. You wouldn't have wanted him to sneak up on you at all! Gators around here get really big if they're left alone to grow for 50 years or so. Which is what we got here last week. A 12 foot alligator weighing around 500 pounds (yeah that's five HUNDRED pounds!!) ate an 80 pound husky that was taking a walk with its owner in a very residential neighborhood. That's nuts! I know exactly the area that this happened in. There are houses, apartments & even a few shopping centers along a fairly busy highway. There is a small tributary that leads to the New river but it's a pretty small body of water. Who would have thought this gnarly gator was living right there?? I wouldn't have & I grew up in this county! Of course its awful abbout the dog. I can only imagine how awful that must have been for the owner to witness, worse because they could have been next!

While this is all very sad the alligator was shot by the Parks Department. They would have liked to relocate him but he was too big & it was too dangerous for them to do. Its super strange when something in your tiny town that no one has ever heard of makes national news. & wouldn't you know it. Our gator went viral! Right this moment people are discussing our alligator situation all over facebook. I'm not trying to be glib about the animal being killed but it just had to be done. It could very well have been a child or even an adult that got eaten :( I'm not quite sure whhy this story has gotten so many people talking, but some of the things being said are hilarious to me. One of my very faves is "poor alligator". One girl replied to that, "poor alligator?! Are ya'll serious?" My sentiments exactly! As usual facebook being such a crazy-person gathering ground, there are quite a few that are overly passionate about the gator's fate. I mean come on! He lived a nice, long gator life. It was time to say good-bye. Here are a few of the best LOL comments I've seen: 
                               As much as I am a dog lover and advocate, I don't think this HUGE gator should have been killed. He was in his own environment - you don't walk your dog near them... We are invading more and more into wildlife's habitation, what are they supposed to do??? Are we going to kill all wild animals because we dare to live, walk, breathe toooo close to them??? Just saying.... I am very sad for the husky and his owner...

                                         .it could have been your child, or even an adult. Would you choose an alligator over your child, mother, sibling, husband, or yourself. That's not even a choice. These "alligator advocates" really sound STUPID when it comes to this story. If anyone has ever had a dog - they are part of the family. In a person's yard, golf course, or anywhere people live...that is not an alligator's environment.

                                         People cant keep out of animals habitat. Poor gator doesnt have the knowledge to know he is doing wrong. He should have just been sedated. And poor dog. Did anyone try to help him?? It is sad for both and owner. U cant hold an alligator responsible bc they dont know any better. People invade areas they should stay out of and leave things alone. People should know better and dont so therefore the people are not any brighter than the alligator.

                                         They killed it because it was too large and aggressive to relocate. I saw it in person, this photo is NOT Photoshopped!

                                        Still not sure how the gator showed "aggressive behavior" besides eating the dog. While sad, I feel had the dog been on a leash, or most likely not allowed at waters edge , it would not have happened... Many ways it could have been avoided...

                                       An 80 lb Husky, people... it could have easily have been a child, your child...would you still be saying "poor Gator"?

                                     We put dogs down all the time just for biting someone... Please get a grip people! Gator boys have a hold on keeping the population going! A gator this big is just one dog away from a person! No ignorance going just protecting lives!

Welcome to my world!

Hey there ya'll! I'm Christine a stay-at-home-mom of one 10-year-old daughter Katie. I am not by nature a very adventurous person. Being disabled prevents me from doing a large amount of physical activities. For this & several other interesting circumstances I live in my head quite a lot. It is a very interesting place, my head. For me "normal" is only a setting on a washing machine or sometimes a dishwasher. So you never really know what you're going to find in there. This should be fun!

I have adventures of a different sort. I am very addicted to the website Pinterest.com. I've seen it described as "where women go to plan imaginary weddings, dress children that don't exist & decorate homes we can't afford". This is very true most of the time. I know I'm guilty! Then I had a very novel idea. How about trying some of these wonderful ideas? I mean there are great ideas for your home, crafting, recipes, gifts, fashion, make-up, style. The list is endless. Armed with my "pins" (that's what the ideas are called. You "pin" these ideas to boards by category. People can re-pin them so ideas can be freely shared.) & my trusty sidekick Katie we have set out on this mission. I can't wait to dive into some projects & report back on our findings. 

So let the adventures on the Internet & beyond begin!!