Topeka Zoo Lights

 

 

I shared a lot of these on Facebook already, but I decided I wanted to include them in the blog, too. During Thanksgiving weekend, Jill arranged for tickets for the whole family to go to the Topeka Zoo Lights. 

Their family had gone last year and had enjoyed it. With even more lights promised at the zoo this year, it wasn't a hard sell to include in our holiday weekend. (The Zoo Lights are offered through December 26, but you must have reserved tickets.)

We have lucked out weather-wise on our excursions to light shows. It was the perfect crisp fall night.

 It gave plenty of Joy to Our World.

And it was perfect company.

The lights reflected on water were especially pretty.

We have enjoyed the Topeka Zoo in daylight many times. It was the perfect size when the girls were littler - not so spread out, but plenty of animals.

Even though there wasn't an animal to be seen, the lights provided the perfect start to the Christmas season for our family.

 

Happy Howlidays, everyone!

Family Resemblance

Do you remember the book, Are You My Mother? It was published in 1960 as part of Random House's Beginner Books series.

I remember checking this book out of the Pratt Public Library as a child. When I took Jill and Brent to the library, I loved pulling my favorite childhood books from the shelves and packing them in our book bag.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman is the story about a mother bird who knows her egg will be in her nest where she left it, so she leaves him alone to go and get something for him to eat. The baby chick hatches. He does not understand where his mother is, so he goes to look for her. In his search, he asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a cow if they are his mother. They each say, "No."

Spoiler alert:  He eventually finds his mother.

During a weekend trip to Topeka, I was reminded that there's not a question about who Kinley's mother is. There's plenty of Daddy characteristics, too, as I watched the engineer and meticulous first-born daughter build together at the Discovery Center.

And, as Brooke transforms from toddler into little girl, now 18 months old, there is definitely some family resemblance there, too. (Actually, Brooke wasn't a toddler for long. She's more a "runner." I was reminded of that as Randy and I were chasing her around the Topeka Zoo!)

There might even be a few characteristics that come from an older generation.

It wasn't easy to get everyone standing in one place and looking the same direction.

 

We also see bloodlines reflected on the County Line. There's no question that this little calf and mother are a pair. Even their facial markings are virtually the same. 

While these aren't exactly a matched pair, the splotch on their face makes it easy to see they are related, too. 

We have lots of little all-black babies and mamas running around the pasture.

But when it's time to eat, mother and baby are sure to find one another!

Family resemblance: It's fun to see, whether human or bovine!

***

A note:  I wrote this last week and intended to post it on Thursday or Friday. But I went with Randy to a Kanza Co-op board retreat in Kansas City and was too cheap to pay the $9.95 it took to use the internet in my room. Plus, I spent most of the time in KC in the hotel room sick. I hated missing the group activities. As I told a couple of people, if I missed a dinner theater, you know I didn't feel well. On a positive note, I read three books and watched more NCAA basketball than I figured I'd be able to. See? You can find positives in anything.  And that may be easier, since I'm feeling a whole lot better today.

Career Exploration by Kinley Marie

"To infinity and beyond!"

Hi! Kinley Marie here. Now that I'm 3 and a big sister, it's not too early to explore possible career options.

Grandma Kim may have thought we were just playing during our trip to the Topeka Discovery Center and the Topeka Zoo. But, like my Mommy, I'm a planner, so I decided to do a little career exploration while we were there. One job was out of this world - literally. I could be an astronaut and fly to the International Space Station. However, I heard on the news that an American astronaut just left to spend a year in outer space.That's a really long time, and people might miss me. Plus, I'm not too fond of the dark.

So maybe I'll be an engineer like my Daddy. I really liked all the gears and pulleys on this contraption.

I could be an architect ...

... or a builder. Grandma was impressed when I stacked so many blocks without them falling over. My sister, Brooke, is much more interested in knocking down blocks. We're a good team, I guess. What do you think of K & B Design? (Brooke will probably campaign for B & K Design. That will have to be part of the business negotiations, I suppose.)

I could be a mechanic. Or maybe I could be a race car driver like Danica Patrick. Maybe I'll keep that career option to myself. I wouldn't want the parents to be afraid of sharing the car keys some day. As fast as my first 3 years went, I'll be turning 16 before you know it!

I've thought about being a kitty, but I'm not sure that's going to work out for me (though I do a great meow). So maybe I could be a small animal veterinarian and work with kitties. My Grandpa Randy and my Grandma Christy could help keep me in business. They like kitties, too.

Horses need doctoring, too, so maybe I'll go for a large animal practice. My Grandpa Randy says there could be a job opening working cattle on the farm in a few years. Move over, Dr. Harder and Dr. Dick! What's wrong with a little nepotism?

Since I'm always saying, "Shoo fly" to any wandering insects, I'm not sure entomology is the job for me.

But maybe a herpetologist? I do love turtles, and snakes don't really bother me. See? I'm standing right by a snake and smiling. Of course, he is in a cage.

Maybe I could lead safaris to see elephants. I really like visiting Sunda and Tembo at the zoo.

I like animals, but maybe a career treating human patients would be good. After seeing how long a small intestine is, I think I could choose a career in gastroenterology. It certainly seems to cover a lot of territory - and that's just for one person. Just think about treating that much "real estate" in a whole medical practice!

 

Maybe a career in the arts would be more to my liking. I took this picture of Grandma. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Grandma says it's in focus, which is more than she can say for most of Grandpa's photos.Grandma says I could be a reporter because I have lots of questions.

And Grandma thought my painting rivaled Picasso. I decided to start my own blue (and red) period pieces.

Interior decorating could be my calling. Holiday decorating is my forte.

I could become a famous chef or a dietitian like my Mommy. 

What's a girl to do? There are just so many paths to take.

I wonder if there's a career counselor in kindergarten. The Class of 2030 wants to know.

Until next time,
Kinley Marie

The Zoo Diary by Kinley Marie

The Zoo Diary

By Kinley Marie

Hello, folks! It's been awhile since Grandma let me take over on Kim's County Line. A lot has happened to me since I last wrote. Most importantly, I'm a big sister. It's quite a responsibility to show my sister, Brooke, all about this big old world we live in.

Since Grandma and Grandpa Fritzemeier were in town, I thought I'd entertain all of them with a trip to the Topeka Zoo. The grandparents just can't seem to get enough of that place. So far, I can't get Brooke to talk, no matter how much I talk to her, so I don't really know how she feels about zoos.

 

But, she must like animals. She wore her giraffe outfit, so I thought we'd start by visiting them. (Actually, it was my giraffe outfit from back when I was a baby. Aren't I good at sharing?) 

 

Mommy said that we needed to see the baby tigers next. They are usually only out in the mornings. There are actually three baby tigers. But Grandma said that photographing baby tigers is a little like trying to take pictures of toddlers. I'm not sure what she means by that! But it looks like she only got a picture of one of them. He was playing with his Mama's tail. It looked like he was having fun while his siblings lazed around on a rock ledge. I know the feeling! My sibling was lazing around, too. 

Temba and Sumba, the elephants, are some of my favorites, and they were just down the path from the tigers.

Grandma helped me take a picture of Grandpa and turtles. I guess we should have told him to smile. One of the turtles kind of looked like he was smiling at us. Or maybe he was just happy to be eating his salad. I like veggies with ranch dressing. The zoo workers didn't let the turtle have any ranch. Too bad!

We also saw the flamingos. They are dressed in one of my favorite colors - PINK!

We watched the orangutans for a long time. They were busy playing. It looked like fun. I kept saying, "What are they doing?"

 

I was even brave enough to feed some goats with Grandpa.

We always have a good time at the zoo. Before lunch, we had time for playing across the street in Gage Park.

My favorite thing to do at a park is swing. My Mommy says I'm about to outgrow these swings, but I love them. I can go so high!

My Grandma and Grandpa wanted to ride the Gage Park train, but I politely declined. Its whistle is just too loud. I decided I would just pretend instead.

I guess the whistle didn't bother Brooke. She was still asleep.

(For some reason, my Mommy was glad that Brooke slept through pretty much the whole zoo. I just can't figure it out! She missed everything!)

But, maybe it's OK. It'll just give me a chance to go to the zoo again. 

Until then,
Kinley Marie