8 November 2009

We took a Monday School field trip this week to a nearby animal sanctuary. The sanctuary has 2 missions: rehabilitation and education. They provide medical treatment to injured wild animals and return about 80% of the animals they treat to the wild. Some animals cannot live in the wild and these animals are given as comfortable a home as possible. The sanctuary offers tours of their permanent residents in order to teach people about wild animals. For example, black bears make really bad pets. This photo was taken in front of the bear pen. The bears are preparing to hibernate and are nicely roly-poly from eating pounds and pounds of dog food, chickens and pumpkins. Safeway and Fred Meyer send the animals their outdated meat and produce.

We chose to go to the sanctuary because Abe is studying wild cats this trimester. Clark, a mountain lion, is another one of the sanctuary's permanent residents. Someone had tried to keep Clark as a pet and cut the tendons in Clark's paws so that he cannot extend his claws. The sanctuary is beautiful and the animals receive first class treatment, but it's sad to see the wild animals penned in.

Helen wanted to go on a picnic on a cold, rainy day, but settled for a tea party inside, instead. She has some streaks of face paint on her face left over from playing at school.

Saturday morning Abe made waffles while Becky went running and Brandan worked on his talk for Sacrament Meeting. It makes us wonder what else he can do that we haven't thought to ask him.

We love the dresses at shabby apple . So many gorgeous dresses, all with sleeves and all at least knee length-- no tank tops, t-shirts, jackets or leggings required. Simply beautiful.