Recent Zoo Happenings

We've had a bunch of small events happening here at the zoo recently. Unfortunately, one of those events was me getting sick. So I'm a little behind on my entries and picture postings. This should get me caught up!

About 10 days ago, I put Heathen #3 in the shower. My job is to regulate the water temperature and then pull up the button that makes the shower start. My mission accomplished, I left him to his "washing" and headed downstairs to fold a load of laundry. About two minutes into the folding, I discovered a nude, soaking wet Heathen standing in the living room. A spider had joined him for his shower and he didn't want it there. Figuring that it was a small spider, I offered to squish it for him (I love being the hero!). When we got back up to the bathroom, it wasn't a little spider!

About the same time as the "Spider Scare," I finally broke down and went to the Humane Society. We had lost Fuzznutz a few weeks ago, and it looks like one of our other cats, Rosie, wasn't coming home. She knew even as a little kitten that she was not meant to be an indoor cat and would spend hours attempting to escape the house every day. Usually she comes back in for the winter, but this year, we haven't seen her.

I'd done so well avoiding the Humane Society because I knew I would come home with another critter. And I did. Nina joined our family about a week ago and has been a great addition! She is so little - only about 10 ounces - that she makes Tiger and Anya look like cows!

In the grandest traditions of our zoo, my relatively cheap critter has already cost us over $100 because she came home with an upper respiratory infection that has required major antibiotics and two overnight stays at the vet. But she's REALLY sweet!

This past weekend, we took the Heathens to Chuck E. Cheese's as a treat. While the boys had a good time, the Asst. Zookeeper spent the first twenty minutes waiting for a specific ride to open up. And as soon as it did, he grabbed his little cup of tokens and ran to it!

On Sunday, we took the Heathens to pick pumpkins. As always, we got them at the pumpkin patch run by the Westmont Presbyterian Church. This is where our Heathens attend Youth Club after school on Wednesdays. The church does it as a fundraiser for their youth. And the Heathens picked the largest pumpkins they could!

About an hour after I took these pumpkin photos, Heathen #1 came down with swine flu. He went from the pumpkin patch to his bed. He pretty much slept through the first part of the week. Yesterday evening was the first time since Sunday that he wasn't running a fever.

I thought we had done pretty well in keeping the other Heathens away from him (we had confined Heathen #1 to his bedroom). But yesterday afternoon, Heathen #3 spiked a fever and turned his own flu test positive as well. Poor Heathen was so tired, he didn't even make it to the doctor's office awake. Bet you can't tell what season it is from the photo. :)

And last night was the October pack meeting for cub scouts. I went as Smurfette and my friend Bethany came as a dutch maid. We have a great time together! I'm NOT looking forward to when she and her husband move out of the area in another year. Love ya Bethany!