Field Trip for Grown-Ups {p,h,f,r}

The Like Mother, Like Daughter linkup for some good old contentment has brought me back from the bloggingless grave.  Resurrection!  Redemption!  Yes, I've been grading a lot of tests on The Tale of Two Cities.  How did you guess?

We went to the zoo.  It was really cool.  We saw a ton.  And I only got four pictures, but, since you've actually clicked the link, I'll share my little bit of joy and zooish contentment with you!  De rien.

{Pretty}

What would it be like to be that awkward looking and yet that inherently graceful?  Giraffes are so pretty.  I think I do okay in the pretty department about 80% of the time - relatively speaking to the situation at hand, of course - but graceful.....that comes and goes.  Maybe 50%.  Lately, I've had to keep my toes permanently painted something opaque because I seem to have stubbed both big toes to the extent that they look rather diseased.  They aren't, for the record.  But when one smacks one's toenail into hard objects multiple times, the nail tends to get a little crunched looking.  I know, you really wanted to hear about my toenails...thanks for listening.  I appreciate it, I do.  And, I will further expound at length upon the virtues of a slightly sparkly coral nailpolish from, I believe, Forever XXI.  Check it out; it'll save me the expounding, and make you a happier person!

Photo Source

{Happy}

There actually isn't anything particularly happy about this picture, but there isn't anything unhappy with it either, so I figured it qualified by process of elimination.  If there is no unhappiness, there must be happiness.  Anyway, I thought it was a neat picture, and I think turtles are rather fascinating.  I'm not into turtle stuffed animals or statues or anything; I just like watching them swim around and walk.  They're so goofy!

{Funny}

This reminded me of three old men sitting outside a barbershop or similar place, drinking coffee and killing time.  These turtles looked so happy and so utterly uninterested in doing anything except sitting there...it was the classic old man line personified, or animal-fied, to be correct in the idea, if not the spelling.

{Real}

Look closely.  They are real.  Very.  And the other kind that looks the same but has a wider mouth (I can never remember which is the crocodile and which is the alligator.  Sigh.  Shame upon my science education!) was only one cage away.  Looking at things like this make me remember just where I stand on the food chain, why I approve the invention of guns and other means to kill large things at a distance, and the fleetingness of my life.  All in all, however, these two behaved very well and didn't eat or otherwise mangle anything while we watched.  Thank you Lord!

Back to work.  Dr. Manette, Sydney Carton, and all other sundry peoples of the French Republic await.  Au revoir!

Enjoying life like a kid, and thrifting clothes

I saw these sneaky little things swimming along in the river today and you know, I don't think I've ever seen so many turtles all together before!  Certainly not in the wild (if the middle of the city even counts as wild). It was so neat! They were all along the river, just doing their thing and not in the least concerned about all the foot traffic going back and forth.

I think the Husband thought I was silly for taking the pictures but life is exciting! Nature is exciting! There's just so much to see, and adults tend to forget about that. When we're little, we can stare in awe at the worm in the ground or the birds flying, but how often do we remember to stop and smell the roses? Or take in all the amazing beauty around us? This is a very important part of having a happy life, so if you don't take a deep breath of fresh air and appreciate all the little smells and sounds around you while you're breathing deeply, start. It really does make a difference! 

I saw this guy too. See him down there, hiding?  Hopefully he didn't lose a leg or something to the turtles...

On a completely different topic, I need to find a good thrift shop. I hear about all these other women who get amazing deals at the thrift store but aside from thredup, which doesn't exactly count, I don't have much luck. Plato's Closet sometimes had decent things, but it requires dedicated picking through the piles of teenybopper clothes...bleh. Indiana over at Adored Austin mentioned a grownup version of Plato's Closet, but unfortunately there aren't any here.  Maybe later on some enterprising individual will start one, because I'd sure love to check it out.

So, I am going to try to come up with some good places and tips for finding quality items amogst the vast and daunting thrift store racks. If you have tips to share, I'd be most grateful! 

Happy Sunday!