If I could nap with the animals

Today we went on a jog, with the ostensible goal of Yelena taking a nap. Napping ought to have occurred since said Yelena woke up at her regular time this morning (7:30ish), took only an hour nap neither early nor late and was rubbing her eyes when we left. The excitement of getting back on the road must have been too much for her since it was a no go. We went the half-mile or so to Warren Park, which circles a golf course and numerous fields, around the park and up and down the sledding hill and she was still chirping away. We jogged over to Indian Boundary Park and, since she was the Queen of Perk, went to visit the animals.

Upon talking to a loitering zoo volunteer, I discovered that Beth, the geriatric cow (19+ years) died last month, as did the ancient mute swan. No, I did not ask if the former kicked the bucket or the latter sung a mute swan song. Our friendly neighborhood llamas have sojourned to their autumn home at the Farm at the Lincoln Park Zoo. In their place were very two large white goats named Clark and Addison. (The location of Wrigley Field, for you non-Cubs fans out there.) Apparently, the Farm in the Zoo is overrun with goats right now. (Anyone want a pet goat? They're environmentally sound lawn mowers.) I took Yelena out of her stroller and we watched them stretch up on their hind legs to chew the leaves off the trees. They obliged us by saying, “Naaaa,” a lot, which made Yelena smile. Then we played on the swings and watched flocks upon flocks of ducks in the grass, snatching up worms that all the rain must have brought up. She stayed awake all the way home, too, watching all the dogs and squirrels.