Memorable Visits to the Zoo

Talk to the animals

All visits to the zoo are interesting, but sometimes, something happens that is out of the ordinary, even for the zoo.

When we lived in Berlin, we visited the wonderful Berlin Zoo frequently. One dark winter day, Dennis and I were there with the kids. I had Baby Isaac in a carrier on my chest, and I was wearing a cape that went over both of us.

The wind became very sharp, and I tried to keep my back to it to shelter Isaac. Then sleet came shooting through the air, and the wolves began howling. It was such an eerie sound that I imagine that even the pedestrians outside the zoo shivered and walked a little faster when they heard it. We decided to cut that visit short and go home.

Another day at the Berlin zoo, it rained right after we arrived. I had packed some sandwiches, so we went to the monkey house and had lunch on the bench in front of the orangutan's cage. We spent most of an hour there, watching and being watched by an amazingly human-like creature. To this day, I have an affection for orangutans.

At the Berlin Zoo, the tigers had a big outdoor enclosure that was connected to their inside cage. When we visited the tiger house one day, they were outside. We were walking down a long hallway, talking about other things, when a tiger's huge head suddenly appeared in a porthole right beside little Keely. We saw his long, yellow fangs. Even though he was behind glass, his sudden appearance gave us a fright that we won't ever forget. When we looked at him again outside, we saw that the porthole was on the back wall of his pen.

I had another memorable experience yesterday at the Nashville Zoo. When we visited the giraffes, two were standing at the back of their little pasture, but one male was taking a close look at the people. I spoke to him, and he stretched his neck out and looked right at me. I talked to him for several minutes and took some pictures of him.

Keely and Taurus had moved to the other side of the little building, so Isaac and I walked over there. We were telling them how the giraffe had given us his attention, when the giraffe saw us, left the other people, and rejoined us. So we talked to him a little while longer. It was an interesting experience. It's pleasant to imagine that he knew we liked him.

It was Keely's idea to go to the zoo yesterday. She will remember this trip as the time that a dragonfly sat on her hand. Isaac will remember that the little donkey thought his hand tasted like salt. I think Taurus will remember the reptile house. It was a nice day.

A few more photos:
Alligators
Carousel
Crane
Elephants
Fish
Gibbon
Iguanas
Jungle gym
Leopard
Leopard 2
Lizard
Meerkats
Meerkats 2
Pathway
Zebras

Birthday Girl

The years fly by.

Not too long ago, our daughter was the little person you see in this photo. Today, she's turns 24. She still enjoys an opportunity to sit down with a good book, and she's still a sweet girl. Happy birthday, Keely, and all our best wishes for a great year!

Update:

24 = 6 candles

Backyard Nature

Wild ageratum and more

Wild ageratum (blue mistflower, Eupatorium coelestinum) is blooming at the edge of some shrubbery where Dennis hasn't mowed closely this year. It pops up every year somewhere around the yard, always in a spot out of the lawn mower's reach. The butterflies like it.

This clump of ageratum is particularly lush. Some of the shoots must be three feet tall. I think it has enjoyed the rainy summer.

Ageratum blooms along the road ditches this time of year, too. It's a sure sign that fall is at hand. It's a member of the aster family, and like many of its relatives, it's a late bloomers.

More backyard nature

While I was working in the shed late this evening, a baby frog hopped in. I thought it was a cricket at first. It was tiny but its hops carried it high into the air -- sproing, sproing! I wanted to put it outside, but it was fast and I couldn't catch it. Finally, I herded it out with the broom.

Just minutes later, a young toad came in. He was craftier than the little frog. He hopped behind some boards where he was perfectly safe from capture. He's still in the shed. I'm going to look for him tomorrow morning.

It was dark outside. I don't know if the little frog and toad were attracted by the lights or by the bugs that had come to the lights.

I finally decided to quit and go to the house. I turned out the lights and started to close the door. Across the driveway, I heard a large animal blow air in a startled whoosh and run away. I couldn't see it, but I know it was a deer that had come to eat fallen apples.

Now the coyotes are howling, and it sounds like they are across the road in the cornfield -- not really very far from my open window. I've heard them close to the house like this several times lately. I suppose the rainy summer has provided plenty of food for them, too.

Their yips and chortles make me feel a little uneasy. I'm glad the cats are inside.

Ghost of Vulcan's Anvil

A weird cloud in the sunset sky

The story of Vulcan from Roman mythology

The Fledgling Flies

Isaac has gone to college

Isaac moved into his college dorm last weekend. Keely and her boyfriend went over to Murray to help him haul his belongings up the stairs to his third-floor room. I had to work, so I didn't get to supervise the move -- probably just as well.

Isaac's roommate is a young man whom he knew in high school. Brandon is a sophomore and he's been at Murray State for a year already. Isaac finally got his transcript and financial aid problems straightened out, so he is officially a junior and my blood pressure is normal again.

Isaac's classes started on Wednesday. In one of them, he has already made a choice from a list of research paper topics. He says he's going to have a lot of reading, and I'm sure he's right. He couldn't register for classes until his records were in order, so this is what he was finally able to get:

• Intro to Archaeology
• Intro to Criminal Justice
• Modern Europe
• Intro to Historical Studies
• History of Latin America
  

The house has been oddly quiet all week. The laundry basket is empty and there aren't many dirty dishes. The television stays on the same channel. The collection of books on the kitchen table is half its former size. The cats know that Isaac is missing, and they are shadowing me.

Isaac's college town (Murray, KY) is just an hour and a half away, so Isaac's coming home for the weekend. He wants to get some things he forgot, do his laundry, carry on his Hopkinsville social life, etc. Dennis and I are looking forward to his visit. The cats will be happy to see him, too.

The line at the Financial Aid Office, on our last visit there.