Stopped by the old stomping grounds and witnessed 5 baby gators - they are soooo cute!!!

I believe I’ve mentioned,  in the past, that some lunatic decided to “walk among the Buffalo” and, sadly, as a result, the buffalo were relocated.

During my absence from posting, I neglected to record that two of the larger alligators I’ve written about have been killed.   Why?   People decided it was “cute” to feed them from the dock area of Lake Sumter Landing…   The alligators no longer feared humans, it was written in the Daily Sun, and so they had to be killed.

For weeks, I have believed there were three, maybe four, baby gators.

I expected there to be three or four.

When I would attempt to sneak up to photograph them from outside the safety of the back porch area, it always seemed as if more than three or four gators would “plop” into the water…from areas inside the biggest green grass just beyond the concrete culvert. I always heard this yelping sound and I thought, “hmmmm…guess frogs yelp when they are surprised”.

Because I expected there to be a certain number, I would then have to explain all of the “plops”, well beyond the three or four that I expected…and explain I did…Frogs. Yelping frogs.

But, yesterday, when I arrived home to find the ponds well fed from the rain storm, I could clearly see three, four, five…wait, six…no SEVEN. Seven baby gators. Maybe.

Then, this morning, I saw EIGHT of them, in ONE place…on the concrete culvert…and there was also one in the grass at nearly the same time. I can’t be certain, could be that one of the concrete culvert gators quickly swam across the pond and out of the water, unnoticed into the grass.

Today I Googled, “alligator yelp” and found that the babies, when frightened, will yelp to alert mom to the perceived danger.

Thankfully MOM, who I think might have also showed up yesterday (see previous posts with photos), never came to the rescue.

One of the things I’ve done most of my life is PRESUME…I think that word sufficiently describes what I do…I presume that someone is thinking something, or feels something, or wants something…

pre·sume (pr-zm)
v. pre·sumed, pre·sum·ing, pre·sumes
v.tr.
1. To take for granted as being true in the absence of proof to the contrary: We presumed she was innocent.
2. To constitute reasonable evidence for assuming; appear to prove: A signed hotel bill presumes occupancy of a room.
3. To venture without authority or permission; dare: He presumed to invite himself to dinner.
v.intr.
1. To act overconfidently; take liberties.
2. To take unwarranted advantage of something; go beyond the proper limits: Don’t presume on their hospitality.
3. To take for granted that something is true or factual; suppose: That’s the new assistant, I presume.

I presume a lot. I also assume a lot.

as·sume (-sm)
tr.v. as·sumed, as·sum·ing, as·sumes
1. To take upon oneself: assume responsibility; assume another’s debts.
2. To undertake the duties of (an office): assumed the presidency.
3. To take on; adopt: “The god assumes a human form” (John Ruskin).
4. To put on; don: The queen assumed a velvet robe.
5. To affect the appearance or possession of; feign.
6. To take for granted; suppose: assumed that prices would rise. See Synonyms at presume.
7. To take over without justification; seize: assume control.
8. To take up or receive into heaven.

Zen masters, and others as well, proclaim “DO NOT ASSUME”. We all know the “ass out of you and me” description as well, which is what happens when someone assumes. I learned from trading options that one “sees what is believed”, and not the other way around “believe when seeing”. When I believe that there are three or four alligators…that is all I see, even when evidence (lots of plops and yelps) indicates there could be MORE than three or four.

Keep an open mind. Resist Black & White thinking.

My lessons.

The cranes chased the sunning babies away…the ducks just went to check out the bigger gator down at the end of the pond and so that gator is nowhere to be found, and three brave little gators are back up on the concrete again. I say brave because one of the white birds, the kind with the long curved bill, just walked towards and then around the gators and they didn’t move (photos tomorrow, or later today). I’ve managed to waste the whole morning taking photos.

It’s time to go to work!

(unless something else catches my eye…)