Mom Says I Picked a Wonderful Man to Marry

My mother called when she got in from N.C. yesterday and asked if I was still engaged. (3 whole days later) and this was Howie’s emailed response to her:

 

“Regarding your question "are you still engaged", I need to ask "are you still married?".  If you are now available, I can still call this off!”

 

At 02:25 PM 11/5/2003 -0500, BarJean Stairs wrote:

 

I called and had your card activated.  You may remove the sticker and sign the back.  Congratulations on your engagement.  You certainly picked a wonderful person!  But I'm not prejudiced.  I can't think of a better suited person for our daughter.  You have a lot in common but yet are very different at the same time - a good complement to each other. Love, BarJean

 

Howie’s letter to former Governor candidate Bill McBride

Bill, thanks for you note.  So glad to hear you are back in the saddle!  You asked about Big Cat Rescue.  It is part of some pretty dramatic changes in my life since we last talked.  Nov. 1 last year I met a wonderful lady.  Her name is Carole Lewis and she is the founder of what has been known as WildLife On Easy Street.  It is a 42 acre non-profit big cat sanctuary across from Citrus Park Mall.  It houses 170 big cats (as in tigers, lions, bobcats, leopards, cougars etc.) that have either been abused, abandoned, retired from performing acts, or saved from being turned into fur coats.

 

Carole and I started dating and I became totally captivated by both her and by this cause.  This past weekend, on the first anniversary of our meeting, Carole and I became engaged.  This is a first for me at this advanced age, so even more exciting than it might otherwise have been.

 

Meantime, my days of relaxed, leisurely semi-retirement have ended big time.  I'm now serving as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the sanctuary and working as hard as I ever have.   The care of the cats at the sanctuary is absolutely first rate, but there are many aspects of the business end of this that need a lot of work to insure the long term survival.  It is turning into a demanding but very fun challenge.  One small step is that we are changing the name of the sanctuary to Big Cat Rescue to get better awareness.  The website is www.BigCatRescue.org if you care to peek.

 

I'd love to give you a private tour of the place if you have any interest.  It is a totally different experience from a zoo or amusement park.  Here you literally get to stand three feet from an 800 pound tiger.  Maybe we could do that one day and grab lunch and catch up?  Or, for years I have heard the Koenig’s speak so fondly and highly of Alex (Sink), but have never met her.  Is this something she might enjoy?  If so, what I have done with a number of friends is do a late afternoon tour, like 4:30-6:00, and then grab dinner at Caffe Amaretto.  I'd love to have you meet Carole, and if Alex would like to see the sanctuary would very much enjoy meeting her.

 

Anyway, that's pretty much the news at my end.  Below is picture of Carole from our recent annual fund raiser dinner and auction.  The attire was rather whimsical, part formal and part safari, hence the shorts.  Again, really glad to hear your recovery went well.  Look forward to catching up with you whenever you can. - Howie

 

I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

 

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.  

 

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