Crablover Don
Don Drenning was a walking encyclopedia of hermie knowledge and was a pioneer of sorts. It was CLD who experimented with todays standards such as the use of StresCoat®?, ESU® MoonGlow? bulbs, the Two Sponge System, Hermie Buffets and much more. He was one of the first people to have successful Ecuadorian moults.
Don was a frequent poster on landhermitcrabs.com, hermitworld, hammies and horsies, and Vanessa’s InsideTheWeb messageboards, often zapping his energy in the process. In 1999 Don was made a moderator of Hermies Onelist, (which later became eGroups and now Yahoo!Groups), in recognition of the countless hours he spent answering questions on land hermit crab care. It was Don’s fervent hope that Hermies could be a community for land hermit crab owners, and along with Vanessa, the group owner, and later
Jennifer Borgesen as comoderator, he invited people he knew and respected to join Hermies and create an active, safe and supportive community for land hermit crab owners, cutting down on the need to read multiple boards which usually held the same types of questions. A lot of the messages Don wrote to Hermies OneLIST/eGroups/Yahoo!Groups can be found at the ‘in progress’ CLD_on site. http://geocities.com/CLD_on What we would like is for everyone who knew Don, especially people who he has helped either directly or indirectly, to share your rememberances of him. There are some members who talked with him on the phone, or shared lengthy communications by email. Now that CLD is no longer with us, his words of wisdom are a testimony to the caring, generous man that was Crablover Don. If you
have something that you would like to share, we would love to read about it.
We would also like to hear form those people who have adopted KritterlandUSA hermit crabs, perhaps give an update on how they are, and/or share photos.
Crablover Don, a friend to all the ‘little critters of God’ and a good friend to many hermit crabbers that benefited from his time among us.
JUNE 1999
A bright light went out at Kritterlandusa today… But in turn, our clear sky shines brighter tonight… in the skies there is a new star…
Our sweet, beautiful and beloved ‘little big guy’ KING peacefully passed away. No sign of illness, warning or other problems… KING
was alert and active this morning and a short time later, our darling little friend was gone! I guess he felt that he had accomplished what
he ‘needed to do’ in his short time here. He took over the ‘house duties’ of DUKE upon his death…even though his reign was a short
thirteen weeks… KING continued his faithful watch over his ‘flock’…
His surprise and worryfree molt… such a short time after our loss of DUKE… never wanting to bother or worry us with any concern.
Maybe not as outgoing as his predecessor, DUKER, KING had that friendly and fatherly respect of all the smaller and more active
guys in his care. Odd that we should lose our elder statesman on the eve of Father’s Day!
When I went in to ‘visit’and play with the guys this afternoon, I realized something was not right. Several of the other fellas were
wandering around KING… not bothering him, but just acting oddly. It was then I checked him out and discovered that he was
gone…those bright clean eyes were ‘fixed’… his long fluttering antennae were still… No odor or anything else was unsual … KING had
just passed on… just peacefully gone! He has just been good old KING recently…doing his normal thing… I guess his aging body was
ready and he felt that he had done his duty and it was his time to ‘rest’…
The tears are here, but I think out of respect for such a fine friend and buddy, I will try to suppress my grief and outward emotion… KING
wouldn’tlike that at all… he was a proud guy! He loved attention and affection but didn’t like being ‘fussed over’ or worried about. I know it
would make him uneasy to know that he was the cause any kind of unhappiness around here…
So… Long Live Our GENTLE BUDDY… KING…You will be greatly missed but never forgotten… We LOVE you dearly… and your spirit
will live forever at your home here at Kritterland! Til then… All ofus here, know that you will be happy to be back with your best buddyDUKE… Our loss… but heavens gain! Today, June 20th and Father’s Day, was “Bath and Food Frenzy Day here at Kritterlandusa…
What a void we had… KING loved to play in the various fruits and goodies… baths were a time of fun for him… and he had ‘mastered’ all
the fun things in the ‘playroom’…. Damn, I had promised myself I wouldn’t do this… There was a strange aura surrounding the usual
hype and activity of “B.A.F.F.D.” … The guys were not as active or as excited as they usually are… Maybe in reverence of our Gentle
Giant Baby….KING…
I am really trying to deal with the loss of KING. Age, I truly believe was the major factor in losing that gentle guy. He wasn’t as
personable as DUKE, but he had a beautiful and sweet disposition that was truly unique to our KING. He was a rusty red color and had
bright eyes that would melt your heart. I know that he is at peace, so it really does make things some easier to take. He looked just as if
he were just asleep, resting, but looking at him I KNEW in my heart that things were not right… Normally, at any ‘touch’ of his shell,
those legs were moving and his long fluttering anteanne were there to greet you… happily and knowing… But, it was those eyes… those
clear, moving, enduring and everloving eyes… God Bless that sweet gentle giant of a guy! I am just so very thankful that he seemingly
left without pain or problem.
by Don Drenning aka Crablover Don
