In Life and Love and Flying Dung

Lilies and other flowers are in full bloom. Our climbing rose bush is bursting with color and scent. 

Maple trees have become a vibrant red, giving birth to new leaves and growth. 

It's a season filled with rebirth, color, and loveliness. The air is crisp with hundreds of scents traveling along the waves of soft breezes. Close your eyes for a moment and let your senses enjoy the springtime smells. Listen to the new life all around you in chirps of baby birds or the sound of water running across stones in the rivers. Life is abundant. Full of beauty for us to enjoy, especially in the spring when all is coming back to life after a winter slumber. 

Deep within the lily shell lies the stamen waiting to burst onto the stage when its time. Nature is an amazing thing. 

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Friday, April 25, 2025

Terry's birthday is today. Speaking of life, my sweet man turns 69 years of age today. He is still the handsome, sweet man I married but with one more year of experience. 

Mallory came over for her dad's special day. She went with me to take on some delivery tasks in the morning, while Terry relaxed and had his morning cigar. He had an appointment for his massage at 1:00, like every Thursday or Friday. With a pinched nerve in his neck and shoulder, the doctor thought it might be a good therapy, however, it may not be working but he still enjoys it as everyone would. Relaxed and refreshed, he came home and the party began. 

The three of us chose to go to Wildlife Safari for Terry's birthday like we did last year. Terry was able to feed Raza the giraffe a piece of lettuce. He put the lettuce in his mouth and moved his mouth toward the giraffe. Raza gently pulled the food from Terry's lips, leaving a kiss as he did so. It was a nice experience. 

Terry purchased a hoodie a while back that Mallory and I both love. 

We love the jacket on him. The hoodie displays a beautiful picture of a giraffe's face ...

The back has a large picture of a giraffe's rear end with the tail dangling. I told Terry I'm going to have to order one of an elephant to go with his. After this adventure, I may have to order a hippo instead. 

With an overcast sky we weren't sure what we would be able to see during our run through Wildlife Safari. One always takes a chance when visiting the park no matter what the weather is like on that day. Often times the sun creates too warm of an environment and the animals nap through the day, leaving a lot to be desired when it comes to viewing them. Other times, when it's raining or overcast, we feel like many of the creatures won't be out but we have been proven wrong many times. 

This time was a good visit, once again proving the overcast skies are helpful during most visits. During the drive through the park, I was captivated by the amount of animals we did see and was so intrigued by their antics that I only took one photo today. The blog is filled with posts covering the Wildlife Safari adventures we have had though if you are interested in seeing more photos. 

I did capture this gorgeous, huge eland laying in the grass. What a magnificent beast this is! Population wise, the eland is doing well on the planet. I'm sure they are hunted like most animals, but the species seems to be doing well. 

Even though I did not get a photo, I must share an experience or two that we did have. First, we stop at the bears. There were five bears out today that we could see. Two are the cubs from last year. Before leaving the bear area, we were able to catch one cub under a hammock, reaching his paws up to "attack" his sibling resting in the hammock above. Eventually the bear laying in the swing reached down to smack the bear below. It was a "bunk bed" wrestling match between siblings. Very cute. 

Later in the drive through the park we came upon the hippo ponds. I love hippos. This visit proved to be different, in many aspects of the word. It was amazing, yet so wrong on so many levels, but all of it had us laughing. 

As I watched the big guy in his pond, I noticed he was blowing some bubbles through his nose. I giggled and so did Mallory. She spoke up and said, "Oh, the bubbles are cute." As her words hit my ears, I saw more bubbles, but they were not coming from his nose. It was from the other end of his body. He set a trajectory straight behind him. He looked like a bubble machine on a mission. Gas bubbles were firing out of him like he was trying to kill someone or some thing. I'm surprised his butt didn't have lift off. 

I say "he," but in all actuality I have no idea if it's a female or male. Doesn't matter in this story. 

The hippo began his trek up and out of the pond. He moved very slowly, pulling his enormous body from the mud and water. It was as though we were watching a film in slow motion. His eyes would blink periodically, giving us some indication some sort of thought was in that enormous head. At one point I saw him roll his eyes as if he was clearing them from the mud and dirt in the pond or he was fed up with the entire process of pulling himself out of the murky water. 

One slow step at a time, he moved on shore, where he stood close to another hippo in an adjoining enclosure. Moving backward by a couple of steps, the entire scene reached the heights of being surreal. Urine shot from the big guy's body and his tail spun like a windshield wiper. But he wasn't done. 

Now he added poop to the mix. Meanwhile, his spinning tail shot the urine and dung mixture all over the place. My brain was trying to comprehend what was going on when I heard Terry yell, "Go! Go! Go! He's going to explode!" 

Mallory and I began to laugh hysterically. I was trying to move the car forward a few feet, just in case the big beast had a good aim and was able to wipe my car out in a blast of glory. Washing hippo shit off my car's finish wasn't my idea of fun. 

Now, watching a hippo go to the bathroom is not a hobby, nor is it an interest. But the way this guy had his tail spinning, that stuff was shooting up, down, and sideways in all directions, and for quite a distance I might add. Personally I had never experienced a hippo relieving himself before, but I have to say it was entertaining especially when my husband is adding to the urinary drama with his commentary.  

I don't know which was more hilarious, the flying urine and poo or Terry giving us a play-by-play of the destruction this animal could bestow upon us. Either way, it had Mallory and I laughing for a couple of days. Like I said, I didn't pull my camera out this trip. I wanted to enjoy the animals without being behind the lens. But boy, what a show I could have captured. Maybe next time I'll keep the camera handy. 

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After we finished our trip through the park, we came home to have some ice cream and brownies. This year Terry didn't want his usual German chocolate cake. He wanted a tub of Phish Food out of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream collection. He loves Phish Food. I bought him two as it is his birthday, even though I always feel a bit guilty. Putting my husband into a sugar coma is not my idea of fun. I made a couple of batches of sugar free brownies for Mallory and I, and of course, Terry should he require more chocolate. 

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Our post is going to end here for this week. We are grateful for all of you and hope you are having an amazing week! Blessings and hugs to you all. Have a great week and watch out for those hippos!