Today was day number two for me at Hidden Villa. I had a group of ten kids, two of whom were scared of most of the animals. Even the chickens. I caught the same rooster I caught last week, and he did the same thing again - crowed with indignation. When I put him back, the other roosters beat him up for being slow enough to get caught. I'd better stop catching him or his days are numbered. I lifted over the little wooden foot bridges and found a baby alligator lizard and a black widow. The kids really liked the lizard, but were a bit uncertain about the spider. Later, I found a little tree frog and everybody liked it. Even the timid kids.
It was pretty hot today, and by the end of the tour, at least a couple of the kids were whining about being hot and thirsty. Feeding them borage flowers didn't seem to help. I left them with their snacks and went to the museum.
I built a structure out of Kapla blacks in the Zoom Zone and timed how long it was before somebody knocked it down. It was so slow today that it was a full two hours and twenty minutes before it tumbled down under the hands of a very guilty looking girl.

Meanwhile, out in space, an 800 mile wide globe makes itself known. It is in orbit out beyond Pluto, and it circumnavigates the sun every two hundred and something years. Expect George Bush to declare it as "evil" in the next few days. Funds will be diverted into the space program, and an armada will be sent out to meet it. Maybe they'll tell us it's the Death Star to keep us riled up enough to vote for Bush in the next election. If this happens, it would be no more transparent than the crap he's already pulling.

Animals spotted tonight: One Night heron, one skunk, and nine egrets.

cds listened to while thinking that Night herons are odd birds: Dirty Three "Ufkuko" and "Ocean Songs", Heartbeat - Voices of First Nations Women, Dissecting Table "Zigoku", Doc Wor Mirran "Lasher" and "The Music of Blood"

now: Dar Williams "I Have No History"