This morning, Gideon and I went down to the zoo to party it up with two of his friends and their mom. When we go as a family, he remains blissfully strapped into his Combi prison where he is given snacks to munch and water to drink as we observe the things on the other side of the glass. Today was a little different as the other kids are older and used to exploration time. I had to oblige. He loved getting out of the stroller and he loved that there were other kids there with us. I think his favorite time, however, did not involve any other living things. We stopped at the carousel. And there was music. He dipped and swung and shoved his little arms in funny directions.
Not long after the dancing was over, I popped open the cheese flavored crackers. He loves those things. I do too. They always remind me of summers spent in Maryland, swimming in my cousin’s pool and the smell of the clover in the grass. The crackers don’t taste the same when I’m wearing a sweater. They’re best enjoyed in the heat. Just trust me.
As Gideon began chomping down on a tiny fistful of fake orange squares, a curious (or perhaps all-knowing) peacock made it’s way over. Too close for my comfort and we walked quickly away to keep the pecking at bay.
Later in the day, following a nice long nap, I squeezed Gideon into some swimming trunks and put him in the car. This was our first trip back to the pool since the casting and it was a perfect day. Just over ninety degrees, according to the bank sign, a slight breeze and perfectly temperate water.
We enjoyed having the baby pool all to ourselves for 40 minutes when he decided it was time for a snack. Back to the lawn chair, some fruit and some carbs. And here came another curious little creature. Not a peacock (also not a turkey) but a little ground squirrel, who once again got a little too close for my comfort. I made some ridiculous noises to get it to back up. Gideon loved that idea and chimed in with his own squirrel scarring gibberish. He left us alone for a bit, but later, when we were back in the water, I saw his little tail under our towel as he stole away our crumbs. He’s no dummy. I don’t blame him for getting while the getting is good.
Two encounters with animals, both involving baked crackers, both times no one was injured, but the second time, everyone won.
