OK . . . this is completely off topic and has nothing to do with China, teaching, or anything else that has happened to me in the last 8 months, but I thought it was high time that I put in a word for an organization that I believe in and want the general public to know about(if they don’t know about it already.) If you know me, you know that I’m a HUGE animal lover and have been since before I can remember and will be right up until I’m evicted from Earth. Some people think I am eccentric because of the lengths I will go to to save creatures both big and small, but it’s just who I am. Thankfully, there are others out there like me that will go to even greater lengths to help the animals, specifically wildlife when they are sick, wounded, or abandoned.

The organization in which I’m speaking of is called Carolina Wildlife Care. It’s a registered nonprofit organization and receives no state or federal funding, but operates on private financial support through donations, fundraising, and grant assistance. CWC, its abbreviated name, is located in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, and has a few full time and part time staff, but has a large base of volunteers to keep in running smoothly.

CWC has been around since 1989 and with the ongoing education of the public, each year just keeps getting better and better, but that is because of the help from the community. Without the help from the community, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible to keep CWC running. There are many different avenues to assist CWC and their goal to help the wildlife of South Carolina. Some people, like myself, put in a little time to feed the animals, clean and set up cages, prepare formulas and diets, clean the center, admit animals, and answer the phone, but there are a slew of other things you could do. There are constant projects in the works that could use a handy man or woman. Basically, any help is appreciated, whether physical or financial. No time is too little and no task too great. So, if you are interested in helping out in any way, you can click here to find out how.

And there is my little plug in. I urge you to at least go to the website, and read more about CWC and see if there is any way that you can participate and help. Working with CWC is not only fun and educational, but it’s rewarding as well.

You’ve probably heard the nursery rhyme This Little Piggy, but just in case you haven’t, it goes like this:

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went…
“Wee wee wee” all the way home…

That is what I thought of when I saw this picture in a window of Chinese restaurant:

Chris, our friend in Shenyang, told me that it translated into something like this:

“For you I will sit in the pot.”

I of course found it hysterical and had to take a picture. This little piggy may be willing to be dinner, but he sure as heck doesn’t look very happy about jumping into the pot of boiling water. I don’t think I would be very happy either.

So, maybe the nursery rhyme should go something more like this:

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went…
“Weep weep weep” til the meat fell off his bones …

Whoa, I was just trying to be creative, I didn’t mean to get all Grimm on everybody. Heh, but it was a little funny . . . if just a little bit.