The Zoo Man

Ella, Ben, and I went up to visit my family last week. We braved the long 5 hour drive. It was a little touch-and-go, but we made it. Some screaming, some crying, and some sleeping. While we were up there, we went to see "The Zoo Man". It was sponsored by the local library and we figured the kids would enjoy it.

My Mom and I arrived early to get a good spot. After all, we didn't want to drive all that way, get the kids excited, and then not even be able to see the show. We found out that it was going to be held outside in the parking lot...hmmm....lawn chairs would have been a good idea. It's amazing how fast your butt can fall asleep when you are sitting on pavement. It's even more amazing how fast your legs can start to tingle when you are sitting on payment AND holding a toddler in your lap.

While we were waiting for the show to start, a resident of the small town we were in came by with his little house rabbit. A bunch of the kids went wild and ended up chasing the poor thing under a van. The Zoo Man noticed the rabbit and told the people in charge that Mr. Bunny was indeed going to need to leave the show or his own animals may just have it for lunch. It took a little while for them to coax that rabbit out, but finally he was on his way home.

While we waiting for the last people to sit down and the show to start, Grandma leaned over and asked "Ella...what do you think are in those boxes?" Ella sat and thought long and hard and finally came up with the perfect answer: "giraffes" she said. Hmmm....probably not, sweetheart...the boxes are only about 12 inches high. Good guess though.

The Zoo Man started and out came animal #1...a gecko. Hmmm, small but sort cute. Animal #2...a milk snake. Now we're talking...at least we are getting into something bigger than 4 inches...plus he's colorful. Animal #3...a python. Ok, bigger and better. A girl even got to go up and hold him. She looked like she was a little nervous...that always makes the show more interesting. Animal #4...the best for last...an albino burmese python. Here's the big guns of the show...this thing was huge. He was still a young snake weighing in at around 100 pounds. Once he is full grown, he will be around 300 pounds. Oh, but don't get all amazed just yet because his mom was a 600 pound snake. Now that's impressive. Once the show was over we got to go up and pet the snake. Ella was more than unimpressed...she was a little unsure. She had her hands tucked so far into me that I couldn't have found them if I had wanted to. She was making sure that there was no way on God's green earth that she was going to have to feel that thing. Ben was a little more brave. He touched it with the back of his hand once, but wasn't too willing to try it a second time.

Once back at Grandma's house, Mom asked "Ella...what was your favorite animal at The Zoo Man show?" Ella sat and was deep in thought. Finally she answered "the bunny!" "Hmmm....okay" says Grandma, "what was your SECOND favorite animal at The Zoo Man show?" Ella once again sat deep in thought...she finally answered "giraffes!"

So there you have it. End of discussion. Bunnies and giraffes...who knew!