In which we go to the zoo (and other places)

I had a moderately busy week. And by that, I mean that I left the house and drove somewhere more than twice. Because Monday was a holiday, Honey Badger was home, which gave me a little bit of free time.

Originally, we had planned to watch a movie and spend time together, so I do low-key regret not being available, but I made myself useful visiting a friend who recently had a major surgery. She’s still in quite a bit of pain but thankfully has a great support system at home. In my pre-married days, I would probably be annoyingly underfoot trying to help, but I made myself as useful as I could for the one afternoon I could spare.

Tuesday was a regular kind of day, and honestly, I don’t remember much of what I did. Honey Badger cooked most of our dinners this week, so I’m sure I just did chores and took it easier than normal.

On Wednesday, we went to the zoo. Since Bible Study Fellowship follows school schedules, we are off on summer break, and I have filled the BSF timeslot with zoo time instead. Little Lion never gets tired of the zoo, and we always do different activities each week, which keeps it fresh. This week, we discovered that they are on summer hours, which means all of the rides and attractions are open (yay!).

This week, the adventure zone was open and I kid you not, we spent three hours there. Climbing rope obstacles, sliding down an extremely fast slide, splashing in a “stream.” Time just flew, and Little Lion didn’t want to leave. There were moments that pushed me out of my comfort zone, as I let him roam into zones that I couldn’t access easily (like the rope tunnels).

At one point, he disappeared for a good five minutes, and I couldn’t find him anywhere. Eventually, I assumed that he had lost a shoe in the rope tunnel (because it had already happened once), and once I spotted him, my theory was confirmed. He was surrounded by a few eight- or ten-year-old girls who were doing their best to help him put his shoe back on. They were successful, and he made it out, perfectly fine. My anxiety was not fine, and I almost cancelled the rest of his playtime because it was genuinely very scary for me.

After that, I found a zoo staff member and verified that a 200-pound adult could go through the ropes (apparently, every morning, they have staff go through the whole course to make sure it’s solid!), and then I just followed him everywhere. The ropes were fun, but there was a section that was extremely small and that was a bit nerve-racking for me.

The goat exhibit was also open, so we rounded out our time in the adventure zone with a little goat petting. We’ll definitely be back, and I’m lowkey tempted to make an additional zoo trip because it was such a great time.

We rounded out our busy week with a dinner invitation at an old friend’s house. I haven’t seen them in ages, and we used to see each other relatively often BC (before covid). It was really nice catching up with them and seeing their new house. Little Lion had the best time playing in their yard, and the husbands spend time passing a soccer ball back and forth. I would also like to say, Little Lion had excellent behaviour and waited very patiently while we all ate dinner. I can see that he’s growing up, and it’s wonderful and also a little sad. My baby is turning into a little boy before my very eyes.

Anyway, it was great catching up with these friends. I met them a long time ago when they were living in a townhouse next to their besties. And guess what? After a few years of separation and traveling, they now own the house next door to those same besties. I think it’s super poetic. I would love to live next to my “twin” in Michigan. That would be dream.

We also had an international prayer dinner event at our church tonight. We missed the first bit because I was having a fashion disaster, but it ended up being a nice time overall. Next year, I hope we can arrive punctually and sit next to people we know. We weren’t able to do that tonight, and it was definitely a missed opportunity to deepen relationships with people that we’re only acquainted with.

Other interesting things of this week include a delightfully impromptu partying-up with some strangers on our walk this afternoon. Little Lion is in a dog phase, and he insisted on meeting this couple’s dogs. They were gracious and stopped to let him meet them. And then, somehow, we all ended up walking at the same speed in the same direction.

At first, I did feel a little awkward because I didn’t want to put them out, but we had a delightful conversation about our lake, Colorado (where they just came from, and where I once spent a summer working on a farm), as well as work and family things. It ended up being so refreshing, and I hope that we run into them again!

Lastly, as I sat down to write my blog, my plans were very nearly derailed by the sudden propulsion of flowers from the yellow loosestrife sitting beside me. I kept hearing something fall, and saw the plants shake. I thought at first that there was a bug in them, and then all of a sudden, a flower popped off it’s stem. This continued going on for some time, and completely captured my focus. It was just so mystifying!

I eventually got a really good live photo of a flower jumping off, and that satisfied me enough that I could finally settle down and knock out the rest of this writing. I definitely want to look into this flower more, because I have never seen this kind of behaviour. It reminds me of those plants that you brush and the leaves close. Like it’s alive, and so sensitive. I had just changed the water and trimmed the stems, and apparently that was enough of a catalyst to cause this behaviour.

Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got for now. In a week, Honey Badger is planning to go camping, and a nearby farm is having a strawberry festival. Guess where I’ll be?

Have a wonderful day, and if you’re local, maybe I’ll see you around!

Sierra