To the Zoo....

The boys (as in the two middle boys) were off from school today, so I decided to take everyone to the zoo. Vivian had looked a little down and out at the breakfast table with a runny nose, and I gave her some allergy medicine. She seemed excited about the trip and after stopping by for Christa's kids, we were off to the races.

The area around Grant park is very lovely and the day was gorgeous. We had no problem finding a parking place in the shade and then began the rather long trek to the zoo entrance with some minor setbacks, going back for my sunglasses, did we lock the door, why is Oliver covered in ants, and so on and so forth.

We passed by someone who was settled comfortably into an old lawn chair with an amplifier set up to a mic'd harmonica with a synthesizer like jazz blues sort of beat. Kind of like karaoke for harmonica instead of vocals. This guy was a lot of things and musician was not in the top 100. He nodded enthusiastically to our troupe and continued with his harmonica. Caroline said hello and then crowded in closer to me and quietly said," That guy sounds terrible! I really feel sorry for him. It would be so embarrassing to play in public and sound like that."

Oliver was busy acting very strange because Julianna was with us, whom Oliver adores. I did notice that Oliver delights in irritating Julianna's older brother Caleb. I think this is chiefly because Caleb is very conscientious about rules and spends quite a bit of brain time referring himself mentally and those around him verbally back to adages and codes applicable to every possible scenario. Oliver likes rules in so far as he can break them. Thus it was that Oliver spent his time chiefly being shocking and Caleb spent his time gratifying Oliver by being shocked. I intervened at some point much to the joy of poor Caleb and travel buddies were reassigned accordingly.

There were more people at the zoo than I prefer, but not so many as to make it unbearable. The moms sounded like moms. We deteriorate into a rapid fire recording of the same instructions over and over again for two decades once we bring forth the first edition of new life. I reflected for a few minutes on this tragedy as I sat quietly on a bench taking in the scene before me. Varied children employed in even more varied antics and moms going through the same dreary commands akin to a shooting range. "Where is your travel buddy? Don't look through your bag. Pay attention. Are you listening to me? Keep up. Hands to yourself. Stay with your travel buddy." The repetition was grossly tedious and brought me more in tune with my similar behavior. Once upon a time I wandered through the zoo and thought about the animals, habitats, read the little blurbs, studied the map, enjoyed the foliage and considered a ride on the train or the merry go round. Now I'm consumed with bathroom locations, water fountains, hand washing, repetitive head counts, sack lunches, and commanding the structured orderly advance of the progeny through the grounds and so on and so forth.

Vivian was becoming increasingly weak as the morning progressed and I decided that I was going to have to rent a stroller--something I have never done anywhere in 13 years of varied states of reproduction. I went up to the booth, made the request, handed over my card, and then discovered its $8 to rent a stroller! I looked at the attendant in amazement and said, "Good grief, I could buy a stroller for twice that" which is when I bent over to Vivian and asked,"are you sure its worth $8 not to walk?" She looked at me with large worried eyes and looked bad enough that even I decided that it wasn't an option. We got the stroller and she settled in relieved.

The birds and elephants were active and everything else was sound asleep except the rhinoceros who was merely standing center stage in the viewing area making it exceedingly evident that the rhinoceros was most decidedly a "he." You can imagine the sorts of comments this inspired from the people under the age of 10. Fortunately just about the time I thought I was going to have to pry everyone's eyes off the rhinoceros or more accurately his "he" parts in order to take in any more of the zoo, a giraffe was nice enough to trot some yards behind the rhinoceros bringing a welcome distraction and I took the opportunity to exit my flock stage left.

At this point the humans had reached a stage of whining for drinks and lunch that I called for a vote. All in favor of remaining on the trail and continuing with the tour of the animals? A lone yea compliments of Charles. Everyone else? An exuberant chorus of yea's to go back to the car, air conditioning, water bottles, lunch and the book on CD we are currently listening to, namely Book the Tenth in the Series of Unfortunate Events.

A word about the Series of Unfortunate Events: The story is coming together with a continuity amongst the series that leads one to finally realize that this series is more similar to the Star Wars trilogy or Lord of the Rings than the typical kid literature fiction series where each book is a beginning and end unto itself and the "series" is such because the characters remain the same in consecutively numbered volumes. It is also a terribly depressing and dreadful story line where only tedious and horrible things happen of the sort that even I could not have imagined which is saying something since my imagination is a well stretched fertile landscape for all sorts of unpleasant possibilities.

Vivian's fever had escalated to a point past the IQ of most Georgia state legislators by this time and I was beginning to grow concerned. It was for the best that the majority voted us off the black asphalt trail and back to the comforts of home.

Speaking of the comforts of home, I have had my attention re-directed to Julia Child's books on French cooking. I went through this series during the first year or so of marriage being employed in the art of ironing a good deal more than I would wish for and having the happy diversion of library videos and books--Julia's cooking shows and accompanying books being one of my choices. At that time, the ingredients for any recipe were well beyond my reach, but methods and techniques firmly rooted in my mind and became incorporated into my general culinary style.

I've decided to travel this path again, only this time, actually execute the recipes and march forward through the volumes with a boldness and determination that would make Julia proud. I think what would make her even more proud, however, would be the knowledge that my half dozen little people are now coming along on my culinary journey with me.

And so it was that tonight having begun the vegetable section, we indulged in whole artichokes with hollandaise. The children surveyed the vegetable with suspicious skepticism but after a careful demonstration of how to eat the artichoke, everyone went about it first manfully and than with a happy relish, licking their lips and complimenting me on a job well done.

I also made up a wheel of brie wrapped in puffed pastry after being topped with a generous handful of sliced almonds and a liberal sprinkling of finely chopped parsley. I'm not sure the fat content of dinner between the hollandaise and the brie was less than a Whopper and fries, but it sure tasted divine. I, unfortunately, did not get to indulge in the brie as I'm on a very strict no diary regiment in the hopes of coming out of this sinusitis stupor before the age of 40.

Puff pastry is an excellent stand by for any number of rushed culinary needs in the life of the harried housewife....or even the spoiled, pampered housewife, really. I wonder that I don't use it more often.....