manatee

this one was the hardest to do so far

not because it was technically hard

- it was emotionally hard -

I felt like crying most of the time

and when I was done 

I watched some lady on food network make chicken pot pies

*

I just hope the manatees survive this

*

more reading here:

Manatees and Oil Don't Mix

BP and the Perilous Voyage of Bama the Manatee

T and morning sun

how unusual to have the sun streaming in so early in the morning!

where I live is subject to the whims of marine air ...

... which is usually quite wet!

June gloom

or

June-uary

but not today!!!

***

as you know I've been working on a series:

page 1 is completed

my plans for the next page are devoted to one animal only

a magnificent and gentle animal

the

manatee

an animal that in all it's softness and slowness and simple need for habitat

relies on humans to be mindful and careful and generous of spirit

***

thank you to everyone for your kind comments through these oil spill posts

it is a lovely thing to share an awe and appreciation of nature

***

(please also visit the other tea bloggers listed in my sidebar)

sea star

A healthy sea star (aka starfish).

Are they the canary in the coal mine?

Thousands washed ashore on Chandeleur Islands Louisiana,

home of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge,

Tuesday April 27th, 2010.

Only 5 days after the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon.

snowy plover

"The Snowy Plover is a ground nesting bird found primarily on unvegetated to sparsely vegetated coastal beaches and shores of inland alkaline lakes. An estimated 18,000 Snowy Plovers breed in North America, where U.S. Pacific and Gulf coasts populations are imperiled by degradation of their habitat from development, human recreation and invasive species. The Pacific coast population is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened and the Gulf coast population is state-listed as endangered in Mississippi and threatened in Florida."

- Birds of North America Online

loggerhead sea turtle

worldwide status:

endangered

They grow to be more than 84 inches (7 feet)

and live to about 67 years old.

Per Wikipedia: In the Atlantic Ocean, the greatest concentration of loggerheads is along the southeastern coast of North America and in the Gulf of Mexico. Very few loggerheads are found along the European and African coastlines. Florida is the most popular nesting site with over 67,000 nests built per year. (Read more HERE)

one way to cope

I am sad beyond words about The Oil Spill.

Today I painted this little guy.

The Ornate Chorus Frog.

His home is in the marshes of the Southeastern United States

He is very small (about 1 inch) and lives in burrows he makes in the mud.

Mud that is not meant to be inundated with oil and Corexit.

I'm sorry I missed tea with everyone this week ....

just not feeling much like a party I guess.

t is for .....

t is for time off

I'm taking a little mental health break today

I'll check back on all of my tea friends tomorrow 

(see the blog list in my sidebar)

ttfn