Random Things to Like

While others deal with hurricane Irene and the resulting storm surge, we are blessed with beautiful weather - still able to swim and water ski. It doesn't do any good to feel guilty about this. One just has to count one's blessings and seize the beautiful day. We must appreciate the light in the clouds, the changing angles of the sun. The colors.

A few things I like:
Malt pancake mix from Meier. I made pancakes this morning, and the malt has a nutty richness that can't be duplicated.

Cleopatra is back in the news. One of my favorite icons, to me she never goes out of style. A great queen (by ancient standards), a lover, a mother, a style icon. Her city, Alexandria, was the wonderful intellectual gem of Egypt. Cincinnati has a traveling exhibit of statues and other art from the city on display right now, treasures reclaimed from the sea.

Hummingbirds that buzz by. The sound of one - whether in Colorado or Indiana, the rich buzzing, what joy. Who wouldn't like to have the mobility of a hummingbird? They come in different sizes, but the revving sound is still the same. Nature's fascinating mechanics.

Children that live close enough to school to be able to walk. To not have to get in a car every time you want to go somewhere. Small town mom and pop stores trying to go back in. There is one in our area called Uppity Trash that I am going to have to check out.

A clean bird bath and a gazing ball. Simple simple things. The Sunday morning newspaper. Walking to get it. Blue stem prairie grass starting to mount up.

It's high school football time. Late August, early September is great for this, while it's light later and the air is warmer. Good luck, all you boys of summer.

Poem for August

August, remembering February

The ground is too stubborn to give way. I try to spade up the red buds, as they have volunteered themselves under the giant pine.

They will not budge. I look for a new tool, but I ultimately must wait until the ground is wetter, the trees dormant. I hope I have time to dig then.

I think back, back to the day in winter, when the children built the snow fort under the sandbox lid and sleds. The photo, published on facebook. My father said, "daughter, it takes three children to raise a village."

Profound, prophetic, ironic, some of the final words. Our connection over thousands of miles; our blizzard, his California sunshine. His sunlit air, his flight.

How I wanted to fly after him, catching up with his spirit, before it ascended. Or catching it, and bringing it back.

Now I give up struggling in my yard. The trees will wait for a cooler day. Sometimes I'm looking at what he looked at, seeing it as he did. Can I bring the day back, February, commenting on my photo, change destiny? When I think of that day, I think I can. Then time slips forward again, no one stopped him to fly. So I pause somehow that day: hold it precious.

Back to the Zoo

The orangutans, or "men of the mountain", seem extremely intelligent. Of any animal at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, they seem strikingly the most human-like. It's fairly easy to get a close look at the pair exhibited in the Indonesian Rain Forest, as they enjoy swinging around on the artificial vines.

Also a real crowd favorite - the banded mongooses. Would that be mongeese? I think not. There are reportedly 25 in the exhibit, and they sleep all snuggled up against each other, even in the hot daytime - is that a defense position against marauding predators? Whatever it is, they really look cute snoring all piled up in a jam. They are in the Africa section. The colony began with with a party of seven adults several years ago.

The big cats - Bengal tiger, lions, a leopard - always fun to see at the zoo. I especially enjoy the many primate exhibits. The spaces around the boardwalk in Indonesia are nice - forested cages built right into the Franke Park woods, with big spaces for the apes and monkeys to climb. The siamangs bring their babies close to the fence, and they pull leaves through the bars. These animals are monogamous, and the males take over the care of infants when they are about two years old. Modern parenting, I love it.

I also loved the bongo drums set up in the Africa section - so many bolted down there's room for a whole impromptu band jam session. I'm definitely a fan, once again. I'll be going back many times if fate allows. Please come with me!

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

It really is Fort Wayne's premier tourist attraction. One can go there time and time again and have a great experience each time. There are so many different things to do there, one blog entry can't really paint a complete picture.

But I do have some tips for a great zoo experience. One, from my years of working there, is try going first thing Sunday morning. In Fort Wayne, the zoo opens at 9 a.m. and there are relatively few cars in the parking lot. That means clearer views of the animals, the activity of feeding and energy first thing, and a clean zoo.

Our zoo is a place you can still go for a pony ride. Take your grandchildren or children, whomever they are, and let them have the visceral experience of sitting on a moving horse. This zoo also still has the old fashioned farm animal exhibit and goat pen where one can buy a cup filled with pellets and feed the goats. Little kids want to pet, touch the animals - that's how they learn, connect. One goat liked my skin lotion - he kept licking my knee. They'll eat your shirt tails if you aren't careful.

I especially enjoyed the revamped African Veldt section - they actually had honey badgers! Have you seen the viral honey badger videos over the Internet? It's all the rage. They are some impressive oddities of nature. A hugely popular display is that of the giraffes - a few young ones of various sizes, and visitors can feed them leaves of lettuce - another crowd favorite. I have only covered a few spots in the zoo, but I'll just have to revisit this another day. It's worth many more looks. Try the Dairy Queen on your way out.

Body surfing in Lake Michigan

The water was perfectly pleasant for swimming: neither too cold nor too warm, but refreshing, delightful. The winds were gusty, maybe up to 15-20 mph, and it created a fun, rolling surf that was just right to dive into and swim through. Challenging surf, but no gagging salt taste when one got knocked over by a wave; no jellyfish or anemones, or sharp coral - hey, this was not bad at all!

We were at a private beach access at Michigan City, IN - we had walked down from my friend's family condo. Lovely beach grass, beaches not too crowded - it was a pleasant surprise. There was lots to do in that area - an attractive park and zoo up by the waterfront, picnic areas, a waterside attraction. We walked out the breakwater to the lighthouse - surf was breaking over the concrete barrier a little, but we managed to get to the building to take a snap shot.

The Blue Chip Casino is nearby - I think it would be fun to get a hotel room, play a little black jack and then ride a cute cruiser bicycle the short distance down to the beach. Or find a private house to rent, or such. Usually the water is so cold - 2011 has had such a hot summer, the big lake seems surprisingly more attractive. I heard there were lots of summer vacancies what with the lukewarm economy. I can definitely say I plan to go back, and take some children who have never swam in the great lake. Doing so is quite an experience.