am typing this while stretched in a hammock, putting my feet up to give them a few minutes to heal. been a busy day; Devin the water-dog boy (water dog being what they call the otters) showed me how to clean the otter and raccoon pens. Devin is an Amerind, like most of the staff here, they are shy and quiet and English is a second language so sometimes communication is a bit tough. also Devin is a 16 year old (it ws his birthday that was the party last night, also someones anniversary) so he mostly communicates in mumbles anyway. Buddy (the otter) rambled around and over us while we worked, commenting on everything and letting it be know that HE hadn' had any BREAKFAST yet. He is the most amazing animal; I would guess he weighs 20 lbs fvdkd sorry, spider jst dropped out of the thatch onto me, dunno what kind it was, guss I will find out .... anyway, Buddy is just like a big, slow, surprisingly gentle and very stubborn ferret. He crawled into my lap, overflowing, and nuzzled, and he likes to have you pat him and play with his paws, and his jaws (which I have seen crush a pleco (armored fish) with ease ) are very gentle, he mouths you sometimes but doesnt bite hard. unless you do something he doesnt approve of, like try to take his fish or pick him up. I will try and get a picture later. I am totally in love and terrified something will happen to him; if a caiman or wild otters go after him I am afraid I will go splashing out into midstream with a knife in my teeth.

The thatch is full of bats and wasps, the wasps are 3 times the size of our regulr wasps, angry red-orange. One of them stung me on the head already. The bats are smaller than mice and very busy, at night especially, but all the time, there is a gentle shower of bat doots (like mice doots) and the occasional pee. Sometimes an entire bat.

buddy is fussin, i gotta go check on him, more later

... hes fine, he was curled up, sound asleep, squealing to himself in a dream. Heartmelt.

i guess its a good thing he doesn't like to be picked up, I would haul him around with me all the time.