#AtoZChallenge
#participant
Letter Z
Zoo
Short Short
Stories
Zoo story number one, is where my father and I went to the Miami Metro Zoo. I did not have my father in my life while I was growing up. I was able to obtain contact info for him at 17 but life did not cooperate enough for me to reach out to him until I was about 19. He flew down from Michigan and visited for about a week or two, it was an awesome time. He wanted to buy the largest stuffed animal the Zoo gift shop had out on the floor.
I think it was a bear and so large it was from the ceiling to the floor. I am not sure that stuffed animal was available for sale but I still had to talk him out of it, and possibly into buying something smaller. The animal would not have fit through the front door of the apartment I lived in at the time. I may have selected a smaller animal but I can't recall now all of these years later. Mostly what stands out from that time, is this Zoo trip, the laughs, music, and food.
A few other things that stand out where my dad is concerned, would be him being a dad for the short amount of years we were able to be reconnected again. One thing I am really happy to know is that I contributed to his life and well being in a positive way.
According to his doctor, who I spoke with some after my father passed away, dad was a happier person to have been included in my life. He was especially happier to be included, to the extent that I could include him from a distance, where my own family was concerned once I became a mother, and he became a grandfather.
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Another zoo story, is where I was about four years of age, I think. There was a children's magazine I was looking at, it had a picture of a seahorse on the back cover. I was not familiar with seahorses yet (apparently) and possibly it did not seem like a real thing to me based on the type of art used.
I recall sharing it with my mother and saying something about "this interesting looking thing" on the magazine cover, which she said was a seahorse. I'm sure my literal brain had something to do with what happened next. I thought it was a lie, and practically called her a liar I guess. Lucky me, mom was in a good mood that day, lol.
When I think back, I have to say, my four year old self thought it sounded so ridiculous, like how would they breath under water, they couldn't run, just look at them... Base on the art used it didn't even look like something that could be real, lol.
Mom only responded with "I guess I'm going to have to take you to the zoo, so that you can see some real seahorses". I don't recall how soon it was that we went but I do recall that we went, and that we road on the train, and mom bought me a diorama kit, that was a model of the Detroit zoo. I did get to see some real seahorses too of course.
I also recall that mom and I worked on the diorama kit together and played with that some too after the zoo trip. It was a long time ago, so it's difficult to recall everything in detail but it's definitely one of my more positive childhood memories.
As far as these Zoo trips go, and family is concerned, I'm happy for the more positive experiences I was able to have in my life. At this point, I am more likely to build dioramas that include model trains or make my own stuffed animals, at home. It's more peaceful, a lot cooler, and less exhausting.
That's it for this post, also the last entry for the A-Z Challenge. There may be a reflection post after this if time allows, I'm not sure about that yet. Thanks so much for visiting! Best wishes for an awesome day and evening, wherever you may be!
Julie
@jmdCREATIVE
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