Christmas in a box

Because of Brenda's current health issues, we will not be able to travel for the holidays. We have tried to visit in Utah for Christmas as often as possible so we can enjoy celebrating with our grandchildren (oh, yes, and our children). But this year that will not be possible. So we are thinking about gifts that our grandchildren will enjoy and that are reasonable to send through the mail.

It is increasingly a challenge to select gifts as our grandchildren get older. When they were toddlers, almost any gift would do ... and the grandkids were as likely to enjoy the wrapping and box as the actual gift. I adopted a personal rule several years ago that I do not give the grandchildren gifts that make noise or that require batteries. This is out of consideration for the parents! For the most part I have abided by that rule, though there have been rare exceptions. For example, one year I came across a (used) electronic toy that would "speak" the letters of the alphabet or the names of animals depending on which button was pushed. Normally I wouldn't have given this gift consideration, but when I pushed the button with a picture of an older man the toy said, "Grandpa!" That was not unusual, except that the voice sounded exactly like me! It was so uncanny that I just had to give this gift.

We have not yet decided what to give this year. I think we will visit the Learning Post to see if we can find something that is both fun and educational. I know in the past we have gotten somewhat carried away with Christmas. After one year when we admittedly went overboard a limit was imposed on our gift giving -- one book and one toy to each child. That makes sense. So now I have to pick out the PERFECT book and a MARVELOUS toy! This will be our "Christmas in a box" year to celebrate long distance with our grandchildren.

Do the Zoo

Brenda and I have a membership to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. We usually go several times during the year because the zoo gives Brenda an opportunity to take photos of interesting animals. Today the weather was quite nice and I wanted to get Brenda out of the house, so we decided to "Do the Zoo" and experience Iowa's wildest adventure.

An impressive new entrance was recently added to the zoo. This is what greets visitors now as they drive into the parking area.

Today's excursion was interesting for two reasons. First, Brenda did NOT bring her camera. That really is unusual for her, though once in awhile she will leave her camera at home so I don't spend a great deal of time waiting for her to take photos. Thanks, Brenda! Second, I did not push Brenda in her wheelchair because she used her scooter.

We did have an enjoyable day and Brenda certainly enjoys being able to get around more freely. And the basket on the front is just the right size to bring home one of those cute red pandas that were recently added to the zoo.