Z is for zoo.

*I don't remember this, but it has been told to me several times.*

Mom and Dad took me to the Portland Zoo when I was, oh, a toddler.  They wanted me to experience all the wonderful animals that were there.  I toddled about, as toddlers do, when I spied a white rooster.

(I don't know if they do now, but they used to let small birds wander in the public areas of the zoo.) 

I fell in love with the white rooster, and proceeded to follow it unswervingly.  Mom and Dad tried to get me involved with the rest of the zoo animals.

"Look, honey, a bear!  A tiger!  Honey, look at the orangutan!"

No dice.

I saw the rooster, I liked the rooster, I was going to make a friend of that rooster.

Mom says to this day, that's why I can deal with them so well.  She was so frustrated, we'd made a special trip to the zoo, and I was more interested in a rooster, which I could have seen at Grandpa's.

Mom, look at it this way.  I have grown up to have my own zoo!  ; )

And thus ends my A to Z challenge with animals...  Hope you enjoyed the menagerie, and I will be going back to blogs that will be about 3 days a week... Thank you for your comments, and I appreciate all the blog readers, new and old!

The rest of the story, Mr. Chatterbox!

During the A to Z challenge, Mr. Chatterbox mentioned he'd like to to hear about what this blog entry mentioned about my Brother in Law.

So.  Husband has two brothers, and middle brother was, well, unique.  And Husband was the sitter for the two boys, until Mom got home.  Well, as is the case with younger siblings, Husband, being the oldest, found the younger ones to be a pain in the butt.

Husband told me that he would indeed keep an eye on the other two, like his Mom told him to.  Mostly he told them to go outside, and not bother him.  Most of the time, this was fine... Until one afternoon when Mom arrived home at just the perfect time. Or the worst, depending on how you look at it.

Husband was sitting on the couch, reading, and his mom rolled up, walked in the door, and started to ask him where the boys were.  He had his nose in a book, and they both looked up in time see out the large window in the back.

Brother in Law had a football helmet on, and was running full speed at a half grown bull calf, that had lowered his head, and was just getting ready to charge.

Mom screamed, cow and boy had a meeting of the minds, sort of, and Husband looked up, then went back to his book.  She turned and railed, "Why are you letting him DO this?"

Husband's logic?  "But Mom, he's not bugging me, and they both enjoy it..."

Mom, for some strange reason, didn't seem to like that answer.

Can't imagine why...  And this story sure explained a LOT about my Brother in Law.