Zoo Camp

This week Savanah is going to Zoo Camp. She has really enjoyed it. With her love for animals I could hardly pass up this opportunity. It is at our state zoo. She is learning about animals and getting to go up close to the animals. She gets to see some of the behind the scenes stuff at the zoo. It is so perfect for her. However, it has been rough on me. And her a bit too.

The Zoo is over 50 miles away. So I drive her there which takes a little over an hour. I hang out in that town for 4 hours while she is at camp. At first I thought this would be fun. Some of it has been. The drive home after camp has been horrendous for the both of us. Taking an hour and a half of stop and go rush hour traffic. She's tired, I'm tired and we are both very grouchy!

The first day I went to the zoo and meandered around. I saw every animal there. I hung out on a bench in the shade, there was a nice breeze. It was pleasant except for I was lonely. Usually when you are at the zoo you are with other people. So when I would see cute or intriguing animals I would talk out loud...to myself. "Awe isn't that cute?!" or "Wow look how big that is?" or "Oh there it is." small statements like that. But there was no one to listen to me. So I realized people were staring at me kind of weird. It was lonely.

The second day I found a Barnes and Noble. Normally I could peruse a book store for hours and be very content. Sit in a big comfy chair and read. I did but I found I was a bit antsy. I ran a couple of errands. Returned a couple of things at a local store.

Now yesterday I shopped a little but then a serious thunderstorm popped up. I sat in my car watching it unfold. You know how I love weather. I was checking the radar on my phone. Then the sirens went off and there was a tornado warning. I was worried about Savanah because the Zoo is only five minutes from where I was. I had asked her camp leader earlier since bad weather had been predicted, what they would do with the kids if the weather became treacherous. They actually take the kids underground in tunnels under the zoo. I wasn't worried about her safety but I was worried she would be scared.

The second tornado siren 5 minutes later was scary. I am sitting in my car listening to am radio for weather updates. All of sudden I hear "beep beep buzzzzzzzz buzzzzzzzzz, this is the emergency broadcast system, A tornado has been sighted...yada yada yada." I did actually hop out of the car and go into a nearby store. The sky looked strangely ominous and volatile. Way off in the distance I could see clouds rotating. It was cool but a little nerve wracking. The second tornado warning was legit. There was a tornado about a mile away. Luckily no one was hurt.

Savanah was fine when I picked her up. During the tornado warning they went below ground to a theater that the zoo uses for training and watched a movie. She had been a little worried but it sounded like they did a great job keeping the kids calm.

After all that I decided at 4:00 to just go park in the zoo lot and read my book for an hour. The problem was it was sweltering outside with a heat index of 103. Super high humidity. Yuck.

So now here we are. Camp today and the last day is tomorrow. I have nothing to do!!!!!! I can't drive home cause I would just have to turn around and come back. I've already done everything I wanted to do. AND I AM LONELY!!!!! Two more days! uuugggghhhh

Oh what we do for our children. Someday when Savanah is a famous animal explorer on Animal Planet. She better take care of me and set me up in a nice house!!!
Joytobe