Animals Around Town

First, as Elvis would say, I need to take care of business: thank you to all the new viewers who visited my blog in the last week! I officially launched the blog on the Web sites of the moms groups I’m in and via email to people I know, and at its peak, the site received nearly 500 hits in one day! Wow! I’ve also gotten encouraging feedback via email from people I do and do not (yet!) know. Thanks so much for the interest and support! I hope you’ll continue coming back to not only read what’s posted, but share comments to create a conversation. Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the blog using the field on the right side of any page.

Now, for my new post:

I’ve been thinking lately about animals. Our yard is a haven for birds, chipmunks and sometimes even foxes and deer.

But that’s not what I really mean. The specific animal I’ve been thinking about is a pack mule. Like the kind you might find if you trek into the bottom of a canyon in, say, Mexico. And why am I thinking of such an animal? Because I often feel like one as I schlep the Bean with her kit and caboodle around town: the car seat, the diaper bag, the playgroup toys, the camera, my purse. I’m guessing it’s around 25 pounds that I’m consistently putting into and out of my car. The good news: my arm muscles are getting stronger. The not-yet-good-but-I’m-hopeful-about-it-news: my arm muscles will gain definition in the near future.

Now the next animal I’ve thought often about is not actually alive. It’s more of a testimony to local art and high-jinx. It’s the pig sculpture on Marshall Road in SW Vienna that participates in current holidays and seasons by being adorned with costumes and decorations. I stopped by one day while pushing Bean in the stroller to find out from the owner exactly how this display came to be. The home- and pig-owner shared the story of a brotherly practical joke that had staying power: his brother thought he would be mad at a giant, orange-colored pig statue in the yard: the brother was wrong. Our neighbor embraced it, dressing the pig up for holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, and for events like school graduations. The photo here shows that the pig is looking for his “lost shaker of salt”. On that note, the pig has had visits from all sorts of people, and even receives gifts – including pig salt and pepper shakers. The owner is always interested in new ideas for dressing up the pig, so if you have ’em, post ’em here!

Finally, the animal I am most interested in becoming these days is the almost extinct party animal. I am craving a night of dancing. I’m thinking about going to the eCitie Restaurant & Bar for some boogie time. I went once years ago, and since getting to DC just won’t happen, I think this is my best bet. I’d love to hear any thoughts about your recent visits to the place.