Why Hedgehog?

     Not to be confused with the spiny little creature from the Erinaceidae family, Hedgehog's Blog has a nice ring to it don't you think? When you are born with the last name Hedges and named after your grandfather Clay the possibilities for nicknames are seemingly endless. Think of all of the words that rhyme with Clay and that just scratches the surface. People get more creative the older you get.

     I survived the taunts from my elementary school peers who liked to call me "Clayface" after the Super Friends' nemesis on the popular Saturday morning cartoon of my early years. My 5th grade teacher Mr Diehl decided he would refer to me as "Sand Trees." After graduating from college and landing my first job at a public aquarium, one of my Aquacenter co-workers Jamie Brauner gave me the moniker "Clay Pots." But in my formative university years one of my swim teammates and fraternity brother John Flynn decidedly and emphatically nicknamed me "Hedgehog!" Which after completion of my pledge semester morphed into the simplified "Hog", and the Hedgehog nickname has stuck with me ever since.
     My mother has taken it a step farther by collecting a variety of hedgehog memorabilia, including but not limited to a cast iron doorstop, boot cleaner, and assorted stuffed animal hedgehogs. No one in my immediate family has been brave enough to take one of these prickly little critters into their home as a pet, but it is nonetheless intriguing. Although they are fairly common, you don't usually see them in your local Petco. However I have read that they are fairly low maintenance animals, can be good for pest control in a summer garden, and historically have found their way to the dinner tables of ancient Egyptians, but I personally have no desire to eat anything that resembles a prickly squirrel. Just sayin'.