The Adventures of Periwinkle and Stinky

 

Sitting in front of the Teleportation Tunnel, Periwinkle waited excitedly for her fiancé, Stinky, to arrive.  She hoped he would arrive on time, and no sooner did she think that when she saw the Tunnel begin to shake and, with the familiar WOOOSH, he tumbled out, almost knocking her over.  They giggled, fixed their furs, and whisker kissed for a while.  Slowly, the tabbies moved apart, and Stinky looked up.  "I know what we're doing today!" he says proudly.  Periwinkle smiles and asks him what he thinks the plan is. He says, "We're going to DeSoto Park to see the Manatees!  That's why we're dressed like Manatees, right?"  Periwinkle tells him he's only partially right.  The Manatees have not returned to the area where they usually see them.  She thinks it's because there is a drought and the water is too shallow.  But, she adds, they are going to see Manatees.  Taking his paw, she guides him to the Teleportation Tunnel to begin their Adventure.  

They quickly arrive at their destination.  No sooner do they leave the Teleportation Tunnel when Stinky climbs up on a sign.  Periwinkle sighs and, not wanting to upset her, he climbs right down.

It didn't take long for them to find the Manatees! Periwinkle says, " Blue Spring State Park is a winter hangout for West Indian manatees. When the ocean gets chilly, the gentle sea potatoes migrate to the warm spring water (a balmy 72F). Humans find this adorable. We cats find it suspiciously fishy. Look Stinky! A whole herd. Or is it a pod? Or, she giggles, a loaf?" Stinky replies,"It is absolutely a loaf. A gargantuan floating loaf." Periwinkle explains that they are sometimes referred to as a loaf because they are gentle and slow-moving so they look like big loaves!

Of course, Periwinkle did research about the park and its visitors. She told Stinky, "Manatees are herbivores, which means they eat plants—like seagrass, lettuce, and aquatic vegetation. They need a lot of food because they’re very big—adult manatees can weigh 800–1,200 pounds! That is at least 73 Stinkys."  Stinky did not look pleased so she quickly went on to say, "Manatees can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes when they’re resting, but usually come up for air every 3–5 minutes. Manatees are protected by law because there aren’t very many of them. Humans have to watch from a distance and never touch, feed, or ride them. It’s also illegal to bother them, chase them, or splash near them. Their survival depends on keeping them calm and safe. There have been over 800 manatees recorded here so far this year."

"Hey, Periwinkle, I think that manatee just slow-blinked us!  Let's go over and see if he will talk to us."  He took Periwinkle by the paw, and off they went.  They asked what his name was and he said he was Floofy the Floater.  He was thrilled to meet the famous Periwinkle and Stinky and asked if they would like to interview him and some of his pals.  Of course, they said yes!  The interviews went like this...

Interview #1 — Floofy the Floater

Periwinkle: Hello! How long have you been here?
Floofy: glub I come every winter. The water is warm, and no one bothers me.
Stinky: Do you float professionally?

Floofy: Yes. It’s an art.

Interview #2 — Sir Lettuce Chompington
Periwinkle: What do manatees eat?
Chompington: Seagrass and aquatic plants. Sometimes, humans at the rehabilitation centers give us snacks.
Stinky: So you eat salad all day?
Chompington: Correct.
Stinky: Respectfully, how are you so round?
Chompington: Genetics.

 
Interview #3 — Professor Puffins
Periwinkle: Why do humans protect you?
Professor: We are a threatened species. Boats, cold water, and habitat loss are dangerous to us.
Stinky: Boats are rude.
Professor: Quite.

 
Interview #4 — Tiny Flapflap (a fish)
Stinky: Why do you swim around manatees?
Flapflap: We clean algae off them. Also, they are chill and never eat us.
Stinky: That is a solid business relationship.

After their interviews, the tabbies headed over to the boardwalk to see more.  Of course, Stinky had to climb up on the rail to take a photo with the mosaic manatee.

They both let out a loud SQUEE when they saw the Mom and calf...

Walking paw in paw, they saw lots of other manatees and stopped to take in an aerial view, which amazed them!

Periwinkle said, "I made a list of park Tips (For Humans)"

Best Time to Visit:
✔ December–February
✔ Early morning during cold weather

Viewing Access:
✔ Elevated boardwalk along spring run
✔ Viewing platforms
✔ No swimming during manatee season

Accessibility Notes:
✔ Boardwalk wheelchair-friendly
✔ Shaded areas for breaks

Important Rules:
✘ Do not touch, chase, ride, feed, or harass manatees
✘ No drones during manatee season
✘ Keep voices low near water

✘ Do not use flash photography  

Pro Visitor Tips:
✓ Arrive early — parking fills up
✓ Bring binoculars if you have them
✓ Dress in layers (mornings can be cool)
✓ Pack your own snacks (no vendors inside)

Stinky agreed that that was great advice.  It was getting late so they re-entered the Teleportation Tunnel to go back to Periwinkle's house.  They took a nap in a sun puddle, had a snack and Stinky visited with Periwinkle's Mom and fursibs.  After whisker kissing and paw patting and lots of "I love yous." Stinky hopped into the Teleportation, blew one last whisker kiss and, with a WOOSH, was on his way home.  Periwinkle decided to find her fursibs and tell them all about her day with Stinky

You can watch live Manatee cams too!  Here's an Underwater cam...

And an Above Water cam...

The Adventures of Periwinkle and Stinky

 

Bundled up in her scarf and hat, Periwinkle eagerly awaited the arrival of her boyfriend Stinky.  It was super cold at her house but nowhere near as cold as where Stinky lives.  With a WOOSH, Stinky tumbled out of the Teleportation Tunnel and right into Periwinkle's arms.  The two shared whisker kisses and paw pats for a while.  Periwinkle apologized for the cold weather.  "MOL you think this is cold?  You should be at my house...it's FREEZING!" said Stinky.  Periwinkle told him that they had a freeze warning the other night but it was a bit better today.  "The cold weather made our Adventure for today possible," said Periwinkle.  Stinky smiled because he had an idea of what they were doing today. "We're going to see the Manatees, aren't we?"   Periwinkle laughed and said she must be predictable but they only had a few opportunities to see these gentle animals and she liked to take advantage of it when they could.

The two hopped into Mom Sharon's car and made the short ride to DeSoto Parkway where the manatees were.  Both tabbies turned on their heated seats to stay warm.

When they arrived, they were amazed at how many folks remembered them from the past years!  

They quickly made their way over to see the manatees.   There were about 100 in the canal.  Periwinkle said her Mom visited last week and there were hardly any but the cold weather brought them in.  Stinky rolled his eyes at "cold weather" but understood that Perwinkle was a Florida kitty and not used to the weather he had at home.

"Wow, look at how many there are" they both exclaimed at the same time!

They both were amazed at all the barnacles one Manatee had.  They figured he must have been pretty old to have so many.

"They sure are sweet and gentle," said Periwinkle.  "Just like you are" said Stinky.  Periwinkle smiled and took his paw as they walked along the canal.

There were quite a few manatees in one area and Periwinkle explained that that is where the warm water comes into the canal.  They hang out there to warm up.

Perwinkle also explained how important the Indian River Lagoon is to the health of the manatees and all the marine life.

Perwinkle also explained how important the Indian River Lagoon is to the health of the manatees and all the marine life.

"Over one thousand died last year from starvation so it's important to get the lagoon back to good shape" said Periwinkle.  There are only about 8,000 manatees still living.

Walking along the canal they both giggled when three manatees came up for air at the same time.

They took a couple of videos of the manatees moving through the canal.  They were amazed at the little fish all over the one manatee.

After they saw the manatees they took a walk about the park by the exercise equipment.  They both laughed as they tried out one together!

They also took a photo by the fountain.

Before they left they spotted a bird looking for his lunch.

That made them both think about going back to Periwinkle's house to have a snack.  Periwinkle called her Mom who came right away and brought them back to the house.  It was too cold to eat outside so they shared Temptations and Squeezies with Periwinkle's fursibs.

Periwinkle's Mom turned on the fireplace and the two curled up together and took a nap.  When they woke up they spent some time whisker kissing and holding paws.  Once again it was time for Stinky to head home.  With a wave and blowing a whisker kiss, he got into the Teleportaiton Tunnel and headed home.   Periwinkle went back to the fireplace and went back to sleep dreaming of her special guy.

Manatee Monday

Manatees don't like the cold and very often come visit our area.  They like the small, warmer canals.  There's a park close to use that gets many manatees and is a great spot to see the up close.  You aren't allowed to actually touch or feed them....

They are big, gentle creatures!

Usually the water isn't this clear.

This is the way they get into the canal...

Someone sent Dad this video.  It was taken by a drone (no, Dad didn't take it with HIS drone!)

         

We hope you enjoyed seeing our big, gentle giant friends!

Thankful Thursday

Since not all of our blogging pals are on Facebook, we wanted to share a story that unfolded here in our little town of Satellite Beach.

On Monday night someone reported hearing noises in the drainage pipes a couple of blocks from our house.  As it turned out 19 manatees were stuck in there.  With the help of Florida Wildlife Manatee Rescue and Sea World, as well as our own Fire Deparment and Public Works Department, all 19 were safely removed and returned to the Indian River.

Here are some links if you would like to read more:
News 13,  WKMG,  Florida Today

Want to learn more about Manatees?   Click HERE   Click HERE to see a post we did a while ago with a video Dad took of Manatees.

It was amazing to watch all 4 groups work together so seamlessly.  We're so proud of our little city and the fantastic services we have.  By the way, the grate that was previously there blocking the pipe must have washed away in a storm....a new one is in it's place to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Friday Friends - meet the Manatees

It's so cold here in Florida that the Manatees have come into a canal near our house to stay warm. Earlier this year Mom said there were over 150 of them in this canal. Mom was there visiting the Manatees one day when Sea World came to try to rescue one of the babies who was showing distress.

Dad took this video a couple of weeks ago and we wanted to share our Manatee friends with our blogging pals.



We'll be hosting the Carnival of the Cats here this Sunday! Please Submit your catblogging post to the handy BlogCarnival submission form or email to carnivalofthecats(at)gmail.com.