Butterflies and Broken Legs...

It’s a gorgeous day and the husband is not coming home tonight until later because he is partaking in the manly ritual of the Fantasy Football draft, so I put out my options of things to do to occupy Jack for the entire day. Usually I keep him entertained (if that’s what you want to call it) until Steve comes home, then I take care of things that I can’t do with Jack around, especially with the broken leg. I decide to venture out to the Sweet Briar Nature Preserve in Smithtown. I went there about 2 to 3 years ago (pre-Jack) and it was pretty neat! There are trails through the preserve, perennial gardens, large birds of prey that are being rehabbed or just living their life there due to injury, goats, chickens, etc. Everything is free (almost) and the centerpiece of the establishment is a walk in, enclosed butterfly garden. When looking at the place online the last time I went, there was an admittance fee for the enclosure (maybe 2 bucks at most?), but when we went, there was just a “donation” jar at the entrance. I figured that it would be the same and I wasn’t going to throw another 20 in there like I did last time, and I didn’t have any cash, if I were to get cash, I would again have that same $20 bill dilemma. I said to myself that my last visit can grandfather me into this one.


So, I put the address in my Map App on my iPhone and drive on up there. We pull into the parking lot and I failed to remember that the walking paths are made up of small rocks. That’s ok though, I have my All-Terrain, 3 Wheeled Jeep Stroller! This will be no problem at all! I get everything together, strap broken leg boy in, give him his juice, and we are on our way! As we make our way into the park, we make our first encounter….the “other moms”. The particular place is situated in the center of a very affluent area. The Beamers and Mercedes SUV’s in the parking lot should have clued me in. As I approach the gaggle of “other moms” I can hear the loudening of husband bashing, spa mishaps, mani/pedi appointments, etc. As my vision becomes clearer to the scene, I get a good view of the strollers that cost more than my mortgage payment, each holding a frapa-crapa-latte-venti-soy-mochachino in the cup holder. Now, I will admit. I was not devoid of a drink myself. I had my DD Coolata, grape to be exact, perfectly planted in my super cool Jeep stroller. But DD Coolatas are like fancy Slurpees, so they don’t count as foofy in nature. No “other mom” encounter would be complete without children running all over and not listening to their mother’s wails to return. Ok….off to the butterflies…

We make our way through the perennial garden, say hello to a Bald Eagle, and come to a stop at the enclosure. Hmmmm…..no donation jar, but no one standing outside collecting money. I decide to make our way in, trying to navigate broken leg boy through the doorway and the plastic draped sheeting that is used to keep the butterflies from escaping. We are immediately met with butterflies coming in for a hello. Jack was cute, saying uh-fly and checking it all out. Then not two seconds after we are in and checking everything out, a squeaky little teenage girl comes over and apologetically says that I can’t bring a stroller in. I just point at his leg and she gives an astonished “oh!” We were told to just be really, really careful navigating through, to which I agreed and assured. Then I was told “Oh, and you can pay me too”….ummmm….ok? I fumble through my pockets knowing darn well I have no money while cast boy is pointing with excitement, and even say that the last time I was here there was no one collecting money, so I was unsure about what the deal was. Anyway, I wasn’t going to bust the poor girls chops, and Jack was very pitiful with his “Bye uh-flies” as we left.

Ok, what to do now? I decide to take us down an adjoining path that brings us to a large, open field. Hey look! Butterflies! Free Butterflies! Well, moths….white moths….but the kid doesn’t know the difference. I decide to head left towards the rest of the enclosures, but realize that the end of the path culminates with a “natural staircase”, otherwise called a steep hill with logs dug into the ground to provide some leveling and traction. Ummmmm, yeah, not good for a stroller, even my All Terrain 3 Wheeled Jeep Stroller. So I do a 180 and head follow the path that leads to the woods. Let’s see how that goes.

We pass our “Free Butterflies” again, and approach the dark and densely wooded area and I become pleasantly surprised that there is a very well kept, wide and flat trail, complete with benches and little informational displays about the tree types, wild life, etc. Alright, this is cool. Let’s see where it takes us.

So we stroll, and stroll, and stroll, and we are really enjoying ourselves. We wanted to see butterflies, but Jack was just as happy to say hello to every bird, squirrel, and any other critter that would pop out along the way. The path was nice and cool due to the trees shielding the sun, and the ground was well kept and flat. Then it ended. Literally. The path I was on stopped right next to someone’s backyard. OK? Ummm, where to now? I turn around and see a sign at where we just exited, and discover that this is a Long Island GreenBelt Trail, a series of hiking and running trails across Long Island. I was kind of surprised at the condition of the trail because the Trails I have been on in the past are not as defined as this was. Instead of going back the way we came, I decided to take the path that branched off at the entrance. I didn’t feel like listening to Jack scream about doing the same thing again (God Forbid), plus I assumed everything was similar to where I just was.

I was wrong.

So we start venturing out and begin to parallel a salt water marsh. OOooooh! Hey Jack! Look at the birds. OOOOUCH! God Damn Mosquitos!! No! No Jack! I am not hitting you! Uggg!

Ok, gotta get moving….I was now too far back from going to the familiar trail, so I keep going. Then I come to a “Natural Staircase”. Yup. The kind I avoided at the get go. Well, rather than going through “West Nile World”, I navigate Jack down the path, bonking him in his stroller at every “step”. He thought it was great. OK. At least we didn’t have to go up it.

So we keep going and again come to more salt water marsh, as well as some other “hikers” who were giving me a weird look – “Why is that nitwit in here with a kid in a cast in a stroller?” – then I find out why. The path, that was actually still somewhat flat, is now a bumpy, jagged mess of fallen logs, tree roots, and rocks. OK, do I go back up the “natural staircase”, or do I go across “the speed bumps.” The speed bumps are straight. Oh, and thanks for the sign describing the area as “Fallen Logs and Tree Roots”. Again, Jack finds this great. Thank God I was wearing a sports bra.

Ok…. “natural staircase”…. “West Nile World” … “Knobby Ground Land” … now what….yup…uphill staircase….but not just any natural staircase, twice as big as where I came down, complete with it’s own set of knobby tree roots, and “steps” spaced maybe 3 feet apart. Oh, and did I mention that the incline looked like it was a 75% angle.

So, I hunker down over the handle of the stroller like a mountain biker getting ready for an uphill competition. I get a running start and BAM! Hit the first step. The Jeep Stroller makes it over! Ok, next Step. BAM! Success. I try for the third step, get my momentum and run up towards the next obstacle. BAM! Handle Bars to the boobs! Ugggg! Momentum lost. Pain. Ok, time to re-evaluate.


Now being on the incline and situated between steps, I wouldn’t be able to get the momentum, so I decide to tilt the stroller back and try that way. Oh! It works! Wait, how did I get wet? Ok, let me try it again. Over! Great! Wait, why I am wet? Oh crap! My Coolata! At this point, Jack is uncontrollable with laughter. He is loving this. I am glad HE is having a good time. Alright, I need the Coolata in case I never made it out of here and I start to dehydrate, but I have no other place to put it than where it was in the cup holder. I guess I will have to sacrifice the potential life saving nourishment in hopes of reaching civilization.

UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET.

I finally get to the top, but had lost half my drink, was now covered in wet purple, and was on the verge of wheezing. “Mommy? Mommy? More? More?” Oh c’mon, bite me kid!

At the top of the hill there was a small sign on a tree with the number 5 on it. I wonder what the numbers mean. Ok….off we go. We encounter more of the same, almost in the same order, though not as severe. At the top of the next hill is the number 4. Oh! I hope this leads to humanity! More paths, more obstacles, more numbers. As I pass the sign with the number one, I see it. A clearing up ahead. What’s that? Are those voices? Oh! That building! I know that building! We made it! And we made it with our All Terrain 3 wheeled Jeep Stroller! Take THAT $800 Bugaboo Frog Stroller!

I will post the conclusion tomorrow!!!