Saturday in the park...

Actually, it was Friday in the park. The Vilas zoo here in Madison, which I understand to be the only free zoo in the nation. We had Mal's 7+1/2 year old nephew with us, and as I found last year, the zoo really is more enjoyable in winter than summer. Less people crowded up at the exhibits, and although some animals are inside, plenty are still out.

The polar bears, the lion and lioness, the bison, the seals, the bird house and reptile den... It was a fun morning. Then we went to the Veterans Museum on the end of State Street, which also has some fabulous exhibits if you haven't been to that one yet. This boy, who shares the name of the county he was visiting, was smart and fun to be around. He asked some good questions of the zookeeper who was hosing ice off the steps of the polar bears' exhibit -- the male Nanook came from the wild, when a hunter in the 70s was forced to shoot his mother in self defense. The cub and his brother were brought to Vilas, and then the brother later transferred to another zoo and a female born in captivity brought in for companionship.

"Does he get to visit his brother?" he asked, exhibiting the same emotional sense I did as a child, learning about slavery and finding the selling off of families to be the hardest thing of all to accept. Splitting the family up -- it just seems to be the most painful thing of all, especially through a child's eyes.

The zookeeper answered honestly, "Oh, when they were adults, they used to fight all the time, and it was best to separate them. So no, we don't get them together anymore." She also explained to the adults present, that the female generally stays out of the male's way, although they have mated in the past, with her on birth control as they don't have the capacity to handle any cubs' birth in their facility.

Zoos nowadays have contained breeding progams, meaning Nanook is rare in that he came directly from the wild, and his stock is prized for that reason. She expected he eventually would be transferred too, and studded out for those genes. She also explained how their fur is really clear, not white, and thus why the two appeared to be different colors. (He is a swimmer, and was wet taking on the yellowish appearance, apparently more green in summer from the algae, while the female was white and fluffy looking, preferring to stay dry yesterday.)

So all in all, an interesting trip and a good day to be outside breathing some cold but fresh air.

On to yesterday evening's games...
It's a good thing Mal and I aren't bettors, I guess. Madison Edgewood looked impressive in their victory -- they've got one or two kids who can really skate -- and they beat Appleton 3 - 2. So so much for Appleton taking the title their first trip to the state tournament....

In the best play of the night, Superior and Eau Claire Memorial went back and forth with Memorial eventually dominating in the third with a few clinkers off the pipes, (update: I guess one went in the minute or two before play ended, as I headed out to the parking lot to beat the crowds. Maybe an empty netter if Superior pulled their goalie? Confirmed. The final was 4-2.) and holding the 3-2 advantage they took into the period. Excellent hockey. Great skating, great defense, the hustle and energy on that ice... amazing. They say Eau Claire will dominate Edgewood today -- it really is a different brand of hockey played in the northern parts of the state, but me? I'm pulling for Edgewood. Why? The Eau Claire fans who sat around me were just the most obnoxious I have seen (parents: if you don't want to be around your children, and they aren't old enough to act mature in public, for heaven's sake rotate an adult in and out to sit with them. Because when I got hit with a wadded up piece of paper from the "throwing things at each other game" going on in the rows behind me, I'm the type of adult who will turn around and say something to them. And walking on the seats, where people are going to sit, with your dirty shoes/boots?; why not just teach them how to act in public?

I understand $8 is $8, and when bigger teams play, the building makes lot of money. But some people are there to watch the game on the ice, and not play around in the stands. And I guarantee you, your kids will only turn out better if you teach them to respect adults, and not do dumb things like dangle their shoes over the seat adjacent to an adult, essentially brushing up against her jacket sleeves.

So though I went there neutral, I just don't like to see undisciplined kids, and partisan adults who boo the refs when you don't like the call. (And though I maybe could understand such verbal actions at a non-high school competition, it's sad to see the message being sent when the honest truth is: those referees were just calling an honest, alert game.) And I don't even consider myself a candidate for the Jane Sportsmanship award either, but at that level, some things really are common sense.

Let's just hope, somehow, (a miraculous twist perhaps?) Eau Claire Memorial sees their undefeated season record punctured today. For the good of some of their fat, wealthy fans who surely will have the biggest heads this off-season if they win it all. Really, that's not good for the victors if they never learned how to be good winners, capable of perspective and respect to others. Arrogance can kill, and it's generally self-imposed destruction imo.

But enough about the hockey. Here's another Shaggy tune you might like (these ones really are better when you hear the music alongside the lyrics). It starts out:

I remember, wasn't so long ago
We had a one room shack and the livin' was low
And my mama by herself raised me and my bro
Wasn't easy but she did it with the little that flowed
Worked hard got us off to school everyday
And kept her eyes on the stars when the skies were gray
Gave us pride to survive, really showed us the way
Now I really understood what she was tryin' to say

She said, "Son there I'll be times when the tides are high
And the boat may be rocking, you can cry
Just never give up
And you can never give up," uh-uh
In this life you can lead if you only believe
And in order to achieve what you need
You can never give up
You can never give up
And this hope
That keeps me holding on
On and on
And this hope
That makes me carry on
On and on...

Boom-boom, couldn't have made it alone
I got a wonderful life, two kids of my own
With a strong foundation that was carved in stone
And my mama for the love that made my house a home
Made me wonder some time if this was meant to be
All this for a humble little guy like me
And all I ever really wanted was a family
To teach my kids the same value that she gave to me

She said, Son there'll be times when the tides are high
And the boat may be rocking, you can cry
Just never give up
You can never give up uh-uh
In this life you can lead if you only believe
And in order to achieve what you need
You can never give up
You can never give up And this hope
That keeps me holding on
And on
And this hope
That makes me carry on
On and on ...