Killing Some Time

Just because I haven't been blogging (or FINISHING blogging; case in point, this post), doesn't mean I haven't been DOING things that may or may not be blog-worthy (case in point, this post...).  

In January, the College Boy and I went on a couple of adventures (I do love an adventure). First, we went to Oklahoma City. It was cold. And windy (it's always windy in Oklahoma - you know the song, "Ooooooklahoma where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain" and they ain't a-kiddin'). I had several hours to kill while College Boy was at his appointment, I didn't want to hang out at a mall, so I went to the zoo. 

A week later, we made a little trip to Omaha. In January. When a massive ice storm was predicted, as in wild-eyed meteorologists speaking of power outages and impassible roads across the entire mid-section of the country. He needed to be in Omaha on a Saturday morning, and we planned to drive up the Friday afternoon before and return home on Sunday. Then Icemageddon 2017 was forecast and our plans had to change (and no, we could not change the appointment and yes, I will explain why at a later date - be patient). I had already made arrangements to rent a car that got better gas mileage than my Sequoia (there's a reason it's named after a tree), and man, I was ready! I had that little car stuffed to the gills with sleeping bags, water, healthy snacks (plus M&Ms, because, come on), blankets, a bag of kitty litter (for traction), ice scrapers, heavy coats and boots, plus our luggage for a three day trip. 

(Interesting factoid: the College Boy was not allowed to drive the rental car, because you must be 25 years old to do so. Kid you not. He can vote. He can go to war. He can drink legally. He can BUY a car. He cannot, however, RENT a car. Go figure.)

We hit the road and got to Omaha late Thursday night. The College Boy's appointment wasn't until Saturday morning. Do you know what you do when you have a whole day to kill in Omaha in January? You guessed it - we went to the zoo.

Omaha has an AH-MAZ-ING zoo - the Henry Doorly Zoo, and if you ever have a reason to go to Omaha, you MUST pay it a visit. We visited it about 8 years ago on a trip to Colorado (and if you want to take a minute a look at a map to see how very NOT on the way that is from Southwest Missouri, you will see why you should make an effort to go there if you ever get a chance).

I had never been to a zoo in the winter before (and now have been to two within a week), and I will tell you that you will pretty much have the place to yourself when it's 22 degrees with a windchill of 14 degrees, but here's a few things I learned from my two zoo trips:

Zoos smell much better in the winter than in the summer.

College Boy HAAAATES getting his picture taken,
selfie or otherwise. Especially selfie.

I understand animals like elephants and lions and giraffes being taken off exhibit and put somewhere warm during the winter, but that pansy ass grizzly bear had absolutely no excuse.

You see a grizzly? No, no, you don't.

I have always been more concerned with wearing a cute coat than in being warm, and now that I have bought the warmest coat I have ever owned, I see just how really stupid that line of reasoning has been. Bonus: the coat is cute.

Some animals are cute and some are ugly and some are fierce and some look like a cartoon illustration.

Cute

Not exactly cute.

Fierce. Him, not me.

Cartoonish?

Cats are cats. Some will kill you and eat you, but all of them like nothing better than sitting in a box.

Giraffes deserve their own door.

Look closely. People door on left, giraffe door on the right.

Shhh! They're still getting used to their indoor digs.

I can't speak for all baboons, but I'm pretty darn attractive to one of them.

Parts of him showed his love for me more
than other parts....

The look of love.

Henry Doorly Zoo is known for their gorillas. Here's one now.

College Boy: But what if I drop my cellphone? Then what?

Gotta be a ninja to take a picture of him.

And the ice storm of the century? Didn't happen, or at least not where it was predicted. We made it home with nary a drop of freezing rain. Ate all the M&Ms and most of the healthy snacks on the drive home. And my favorite zoo animal was waiting for me when I got home.

My Nora Pearl loves me more
than that baboon ever could.

Soon....

2016 did not play nicely. It took away my mama and my beloved precious kitten Ruby. Several friends have lost a parent this year, including two very recently. And I'm not even going to talk about the election.

But the worst part is I have lost some of my motivation to write. And I hate it. 

I WANT to write. An idea will flash through my brain, but before I can grab it, it slips through my fingers, like trying to catch smoke with my hands. 

It's not just blogging, either. I feel as though my brain is like an old electrical outlet that I remember from my childhood. Too many cords, all of them cloth-covered and some of them frayed, plugged into my brain, which then overheats and shuts down. So far, I haven't completely blown a fuse or caused a fire, but it could happen.

With the beginning of a new year (okay, beginning plus a month and a half), I'm going to do my best to rewire all those cords, maybe even plug them into a fancy surge protector instead of an extension cord. A few of those cords might not even be needed anymore. I think I'll unplug them one at a time and see what happens (lights flicker ominously...).

My first step in the rewiring process is that I have stepped down as host of Ten Things of Thankful. I've been a lousy host for months now, not writing OR reading posts, but by officially unplugging that cord, I will no longer feel a little shock when I brush past it.

2017 is going to bring plenty of things to write about. I have one kid graduating from high school and one from college. I'm going to participate in the A to Z Challenge again this year. I'm planning to go on some adventures. And there's Nora. Oh, that Nora!

Soon, I will write. 



Linking up with Ten Things of Thankful