So I decide to take hobbled cast boy to the Holtsville Ecology Center today to spend some time outside on this beautiful day. For those who are not familiar with the location, the Ecology Center is a free, town run park/zoo. There are picnic tables, play grounds, a 1.2 mile walking/jogging path and a zoological section that houses goats, llamas, ducks, miniature horses and ponies, chickens, emus, cows, etc. It also provides a home for wildlife that has been rehabilitated and cannot be re-released: Bald Eagles, a gimpy footed Turkey Vulture, some falcons and owls. All in all, it’s a great place to go to have some fun and kill some time. You just have to ignore the methane vents found among the scenic foliage. Yep. It used to be a landfill.
On this particular day, I decided that it would be safe enough for little guy to be chauffeured in his stroller since the air was cooler and the breeze was nice. I wouldn’t have to worry about his cast sweating and getting stinky. I try to stay away on the weekends to avoid the crowds, so I assumed today, a weekday, would be fine. WRONG!!!! Since Jack was systematically listing the animals he was going to see in the order they are located: goats? Ducks? Geese? Birds? Llamas?....you get the idea, I couldn’t leave and disrupt all his categorical work he had visualized in his head.
We pull into the parking lot and I get him situated and we begin our trek into the “zoo”, again all the time, listing what he was going to see in his “matter of fact, but emphasizing each word as a question” way. The wall of people began at the entrance where the goats were. The feed dispensers are opposite the coral, so people were walking back and forth. “FROGGER”. That’s what it was, and I was the frog trying to get past the cars going back and forth. I jigged and jagged, stopped, timed the next sequence of food gatherers, then made my way to the lily pad on the other side. Do you think people would make way for a broken kid in a stroller? No. I guess we get bonus points for finishing the harder level.
So we now move around and pass the Nigerian dwarf goats, who are not as grubby as their counterparts in the other pen. (They are not allowed to be fed). One little guy was sticking his head out as if to say “Hey Jack! Good to see you again! What happened to your leg?” I maneuver over to the goat as best I could with the stroller, and allow Jack to say hi. No sooner than I say “Hey Jack! Say Hi!” another mother pushes right in front of us and props her maybe….16 month old daughter….right in front of the goat’s face. Did she notice that she almost pushed another kid out of the way by means of his cast? No. Did it bother me? No. “Why” you may ask. Well I will tell you! The goat that she so readily plopped her kid in front of was a buck, or unfixed male goat. I believe the woman even said “Oh look at the Billy Goat!” Being a goat owner myself, I can tell you that bucks grow nice, cute Billy Goat goatees. What do they do with these facial hair growths? They pee on them and the surrounding areas of their face so they can attract the ladies. He was nice a wet too. There’s a reason why Jack talks to this goat from afar….
Believe it or not, this is still just the beginning of our madcap adventure…stay tuned for more tomorrow! Can you say “Out of control, 5 year old bicyclist?”
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