Beating the Crowds on Black Friday

Being averse to crowds, we spent most of Black Friday getting things done at home. Fun things, like removing a large handful of peppercorns and allspice berries from a jammed garbage disposal. When we ran out of fun activities at home, we tried to think of any interesting place to go that would be open but not busy on Black Friday. Karen suggested "Farm Country" (a local non-profit petting zoo) because it's not a major shopping destination.

When we decided to go to the petting zoo, we had not yet gone outside. We underestimated how successfully we would avoid the crowds. With a temperature of 43 degrees, wind speeds around 15 miles per hour, and gusts up to 25 miles per hour, the place was practically empty. There were maybe three other families.

We were worried that Leah would be cold and miserable, but she didn't seem to notice anything but the animals. First up was a goat. After being told which animal it was, she proudly squealed, "Goat! Goat!"

She also saw sheep, llamas, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, horses, and ponies. She quickly realized that there were many types of animals. When we left each pen she ran forward toward the next pen while shouting, "More! More!"

Despite the weather, Leah loved the farm.