September 15, 2012- The Turtleback Zoo- Part 2

   I should have gone back to the swans. I don’t think that the 3 photos that I took of them came out that great. I also took a few of the animal shaped shrubs but not of the elephant one which I really regret.

   We took some pictures of the signs too. I had suggested this. I did forget a few though, like the turtles. I should have taken more than 3 of the 2 kinds of these

   I’m not sure how many photos I ended up taking. I went kind of bonkers with the sheep and horses. I probably will put them onto the computer on Monday. I can’t wait to tell Sharon about the zoo. She likes going to zoos also. I wish that she could have been with us today.

   The horse in the stable was another photo that I didn’t take. I was going to do so after seeing the goat but my stupid side said that I didn’t need that shot for I had taken 2 of it when it was outside. But I really wanted this; it was the prettiest horse there.

   Mike bought his lunch at a café type place. He got the burger and fries. I had packed a sandwich and a multi-grain bar so I just had to buy a soda. The grilled chicken did look good; maybe I’ll get that next time, which probably will be late April. That seems so far away.

   There were a lot of nice postcards in the gift shop; it was hard choosing just a few. I got the wolf for mom, a red panda for me and a fox for Sharon. I should have gotten one for Mommie 2. Mike said that we should get Dad the eagle which we did.

    Dad collects eagle stuff. I used to collect raccoons. Mom is a cardinal, cow and tiger collector; she used to be a koala one. We both get cocker spaniels too. Mike has a collection of the Star Wars and Star Trek pewter figures.

   I wish that I had bought myself the snow leopard and prairie dog postcards too. I really wanted to but my brother said that I should only get 4 of them like he was doing. I shouldn't have listened to him.

   As much as I would love to go back to this zoo, I really don’t think that I can handle driving there again. I wonder if there is a bus stop nearby. I will have to look into this. I sure hope that there is.

 

 

Swans

 

Our Collectibles

 

 

October 13, 2014- Fleetwood Mac and Mookie

I was standing near a bookcase in the middle of a field. Nine of my former classmates/Girl Scout troop members were there too.  We looked like we did in the mid-1980s. I was thinking “What an odd place for a bookcase” Amongst the books were a couple of mysteries; one was by Elizabeth Peters.

   About 20 seconds later, our two troop leaders, Miss K and Mrs. M, and 5 other people were walking towards us. I was surprised and pleased to see that they were with the members of the music group Fleetwood Mac.

   This seemed like a strange setting in which to meet them though. We got to ask them questions and they even asked us some too.

   Michelle asked something about their song writing. After this was answered, Stevie Nicks asked if any of us were interested in writing. I can’t believe that I was actually brave enough to answer this.

   I said that my dream is to write a science fiction story and also one about my concert experiences. I also said that I’m not talented enough to do so.

   Stevie told me that I shouldn’t put myself down and that I should never give up on my dreams. It was nice of her to say that but part of me still doesn’t believe that I could ever be successful as a writer.

   Jackie was asking Mick a question but my mind was sort of wandering then. I was looking over towards one of only 6 houses that were in the area. Suddenly, a giraffe appeared near a tree next to it.

   A few other animals which included a Palomino horse, a sheep, and an elephant also materialized in that same vicinity. No one else seemed to notice this. I then saw my little doggie Mookie running in my direction.

   I was so happy to see Mookie. She did stop partway and looked as if she wanted to change directions to head towards the other animals. I just had to go over to her and them even though this would mean missing out on part of the meet and greet event. My doggie was more important than this.

   I was so excited that I ran to her. When I got there, I wanted to get closer to the horse. First, I turned around to look at Fleetwood Mac and my Girl Scout troop. But they were no longer there.

   I was a little upset that I had been left behind. They have done so in a few other holodeck storylines too. Perhaps this time they were just no longer part of the plot; they couldn’t have walked away that quickly.

   I picked up Mookie and gave her a big hug. Her being there calmed me down. I kept her in my arms while I was observing the animals. She didn’t even bark at them as she probably would have in reality. I pet the horse for a little bit.

    I wondered if there was a bus stop nearby. If so, I’d be able to get home that way. I saw an intersection similar to one near my town and decided to walk towards it. I didn’t see that many other buildings and houses around.

   I saw a guy walking his dog and asked him about the bus stop. He said that there was one about ¼ mile away. I also found out that the closest town was a mile and mine was about 9 miles. Only a couple of minutes later, the scenery disappeared and I was back in my room on Earth.

 

 

Note- Photos from the internet- horse and the last 2.

 

October 12, 2015- Cute Doggies and Other Animals- Part 1

 I felt like crying when I saw a dead cat in the middle of the road when driving to the grocery store on Sunday. I remember when Mike, Kelly and I were walking home from school and saw a doggie that had been hit by a car. A man went out into the street to help it and told us that we should go home. I hope that the poor doggie was alright but I have this bad feeling that it wasn’t.

  I get so emotional about animals. They are also in the highlight reels of my mind from trips that I have taken. There was this adorable little calf at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. that I was petting. She got some snot on my light blue pants. I have a picture of her and me. I barely remember anything else about that place or the Baseball Hall of Fame.

  We have pictures of me on a pony and petting a deer at the Turtleback Zoo in 1974. I wish that I could remember this. I pet goats at Hershey Park in 1975 and at a farm that had a corn maze that Matt and I went through in 2000.

  On a Girl Scout trip to the Bronx Zoo in 1980, I rode a camel and saw raccoons and otters. We went to The National Zoo in Washington D.C. and saw the pandas and I’m pretty sure otters too. I definitely saw them there in 1997 and even took photos.

   My troopmates and I went horseback riding during a trip to Virginia in 1982. That the only time that I’ve ever done so and probably would be too afraid to try it again.

  Mike and I liked feeding the ducks in Rahway Park when we were little kids. Helen J. bought a bunny rabbit over to our house one day and we were petting that. I held a baby bunny at the vet’s office a few years ago. It was so adorable.

  We buried a dead bird in our yard in the mid-1970s. A baby blue jay went under Mr. C’s deck about 10 years ago. I should have tried rescuing it or asked someone to help me do so. The mommie was looking for it. It must’ve been so scared and lonely. I know how it feels. I feel so guilty about this. Mr. C’s cat probably ate it or it just died of starvation.

  Mike rescued a baby groundhog from the middle of the road. We tried taking it to the woods near our house but it kept trying to cross the street. We took it to our house and kept it overnight. I didn’t think of taking it to the emergency vet place and was waiting until Monday morning to bring it to our vet.

  We didn’t even know that it was a groundhog at first. Mike was calling it a hedgehog but I don’t think that we have those in the U.S.  I thought that it was a guinea pig. I was saying that if it’s a girl I’d call it Molly and if it’s a boy it’s Simon.

  Our vet’s office only takes cats and dogs so we had to bring it to the one in Clark. The lady there said that they could call a wildlife rehabilitation place that would take care of it. The poor thing was dehydrated. It wouldn’t drink the water that we put in a dish for it. I called them a couple of hours later to check up on it. She said “He’s doing fine”.  Yeah!  Simon was okay. We found out it was a groundhog from them.

Calf- Farmer's Museum 1987

Turtleback Zoo 1974

Rahway Park 1972

Hershey Park 1975

Raccoons-1980

Bronx Zoo 1980- otter

D.C.-National Zoo 1997

Simon the baby groundhog

 

Note- last photo is from the internet- I wish that I had thought to take a picture of the baby groundhog!

 

 

1974

I was only on a horse 2 times in my life - the first was in 1974 at the Turtleback Zoo which mom took a photo of. The second time was in 1982 in Virginia on a girl scout trip. Our family enjoyed eating at Roy Rogers - my brother and I look like we were having fun on the horses there. The bottom lefthand photo is of mom, Mark, Grandma and I in front of our town's new fire truck. It's a shame that grandma got cut off in it though. Dad took the photo of us at Newark airport the day that we took a tour of it and also a TWA plane. Mark and I got TWA pins then which I still have.