28 March 19

Happy Birthday to our daughter Amanda Wheeler! My tie honors Manatee Appreciation Day yesterday, but is also very special for Amanda (who gave me the tie!). About ten years ago Amanda worked at the Cincinnati Zoo, caring for the manatees "Slip" and "Little Joe." They were returned to the Manatee Springs area in Florida in 2010. As is all too common for these gentle giants, Slip was injured by a recreational boat in 2012 and spent a full year in rehabilitation. Meanwhile, Amanda has earned her master's degree in zoology and currently works as the children's and teen's librarian at the Lincoln County Public Library in Stanford, KY. (In my photo I'm wearing a name tag from my participation in a high school "career day" event where I was describing my work in information technology.)