The Reptile Zoo

Oliver and Daniel touching a lizard

Technically not a reptile but a huge toad..a cane toad. I think some cultures get high licking them. 

One hundred pound tortoise

Fancy colored iguana

They had an article recently about this reptile zoo in Ann Arbor in our monthly paper. Never heard of it before but I knew the owners, former co-workers. The wife was a raquetball partner of mine years ago. Never knew that she had a fondness for reptiles. I asked if Shanna wanted to go knowing her hatred and fear of reptiles particularly snakes. On a Brownie nature hike when she was six, we came upon a nest of baby garter snakes. All the girls wanted to have them coil around their fingers, all of them except one. Once she stumbled about an adult garter snake in our yard. I thought someone was amputating her leg for the screams she made. But she decided that the boys would enjoy the animals even if she didn't. It was a good size place for young kids. They had a few tropical birds, scorpions, geckos, fancy spiders, tropical tree frogs too thrown in with the reptiles. The boys seemed amused.

I had the strangest dream last night. I was at Shanna's house in downtown Ann Arbor (she has no house anywhere at the moment as they were outbid on the cute porched one in my previous blog). I needed to go have some cancer check-up which I thought was just a few doors down from Shanna's. How convenient! Five minutes before the appointment, I am still undressed but no matter, I'll just wear her robe down the street. Too bad the robe would only fit a toddler and most of me is hanging out. She comes with me. The place is not where I think it is. We run back and forth up and down the street. Where is this clinic? If we are late, I don't get a scan and they will miss my cancer. They must have moved the clinic. I didn't have a phone (nude) but borrowed Shanna's which had poor reception. I asked information for the number and all I heard was mumbling. I asked the operator to repeat the number but she said I only get to hear the number once. I started screaming to noone in particular that I was dying of cancer and I needed to get to that clinic but where is it?

Rushing, always rushing.

I had a dental appointment this morning. I would have had time for a run if only I didn't find a million excuses to keep putting it off. Went for a short run. Even though it is not that warm now (yay!) I still get hot and need to cool down for sometime before taking a shower otherwise I will continue to sweat. No time to cool down, no time to eat! Still was sweating as I drove to the dentist. Fortunately, no cavities. The hygienist wondered why my gums bled so much. Could it be because you have a sharp object piercing them? She asked if I took aspirin. Yep, my attempt to stave off cancer (in an uncontrolled study, taking aspirin, no amount specified, cut recurrence in half..seems worth it to me bleeding gums and all).

After our zoo trip, all returned to my house for lunch and bike rides. I gave Oliver a longer one going to our nature pond to look at egrets ( I was hoping to show him a snapping turtle, something the reptile zoo strangely did not have). By the pond is a large weeping willow that forms a complete ground length canopy of branches. Some kids were in it saying it is the perfect climbing tree. Oliver wanted to go up it. No, I don't want to have to get you down.

More rain last night. Some of the grass is starting to get green and grow. Steve actually should mow the lawn. Hasn't since May.