This Christmas tree stump carving pays homage to the brave little salamander on loan from our eldest’s fifth grade classroom…
Brutus was a popular class pet and in great demand, so students signed up for the honor of bringing the little guy home on weekends to salamander sit. Brutus spent one VERY LONG weekend at our house. It seems that our cats were simply taken with him. My husband and I repeatedly moved Brutus’ aquarium tank from shelf to shelf in ascending order to dissuade the cats. Just when we thought it was safe to turn out the lights and turn in, commotion in the living room brought us back downstairs in time to witness a full-on attempted salamander assault. No matter where we placed the tank, the cats found a way to harass Brutus. In the end, Brutus was forced to spend the rest of his visit behind locked doors, while the kitties stalked just outside.
I imagine that the fifth grade classroom never looked so good to one shaken-up salamander come Monday morning. This adventure marked the very last class pet vacation at our house.
Elenacaravela's Blog 
I love the wood carving! Poor Brutus. I hope he was as stoical as Shakespeare’s Brutus!
Ann
Hi Ann, thanks for visiting. Yes, Brutus as I recall, was a pretty nervous but resigned little guy.