Catching up

The visit to Bass Pro Shops: 

• The fish feeding: The fish were not so thrilled with the Knox Gelatin-based squid cubes and the little pellets. They ate those because they only get fed three times a week, I guess. What they really wanted was the live tilapia. This was not a good place to be the little fish, and this was something that is best viewed on a small television via PBS rather than live and in person. 
• The shooting gallery: This involved shooting at targets placed on inanimate objects such as a treasure chest, a whiskey jug, and an outhouse. If you miss, a taxidermied animal might die(?). Twenty-five shots for fifty cents. The eldest of the Adventurers is quite a good shot. Even better than grandpa the snake tormentor. Who would have thought? Grandpa wants a rematch, slingshots being the weapon of choice.
• The taxidermy: This place is the taxidermy capital of the world, maybe. There was this special very large dead elk display. Each dead elk had the story of it's "harvest" posted. The one that is bugging me told the story of how the man had  been watching this bull elk for three years, and he finally got a permit to kill it. So he went out hunting and found it fighting another bull elk and enjoyed watching for ten minutes and then "harvested" it. I hope the meat went to feed someone, but I can't help but wonder why he did it, after enjoying watching this animal for three years. Now he can't watch it any more. I think I will stick with "Take only photographs, leave only footprints." 
  
• The fudge: Yummy, especially Mocha.
• The entertainment value:  Free, except for the fudge, as animal-killing implements weren't tempting me to open my wallet. The kids loved the boats.

The Olympics

• 2008 will be remembered as the year of the cool opening ceremonies, the slippery batons, and the bikini uniforms--maybe just a few more Olympics before the athletes compete the way they did in Ancient Greece. Oh, and have you ordered your Michael Phelps video yet? 
  
• My favorite athletes: Dara Torres, mom, age 41 -two silver medals in swimming; Oxana Chusovitina, mom, age 33- a silver medal on vault, competing against a bunch of little kids; Constantina Tomescu, age 38 -gold in the marathon. 

The Book of the Week: The Jungle Books, by Rudyard Kipling. Maybe I should watch the Disney movie some time. Then again, maybe not. Book is usually much better than the movie

• Baloo on education and discipline:
  

"But think how small he is," said the black panther, who would have spoiled Mowgli if he had had his own way. "How can his little head carry all thy long talk?"

"Is there anything in the jungle too little to be killed?" No. That is why I teach him these things, and that is why I hit him, very softly, when he forgets."

• The Law of the Jungle:
  

"One of the beauties of Jungle Law is that punishment settles all scores. There is no nagging afterwards."

The New Hobby: Grower of orchids. I've tried and tried to kill my other house plants and they just won't die. These certainly are interesting. Very cautiously optimistic.