Sunday, October 25, 2009

Sundays in My City... With the Li’l People


As some of you may recall, the Li’l People came to me from Jules over at Mean Girl Garage. I won her drawing about a month back and my prize was the Li’l People. They arrived in fine shape. Hickory was a little suspicious at first so being the responsible person I am, I had him sniff the box for explosives and/or drugs before opening it.

Once the Wonder Dog gave the “all clear” signal, we unpacked the little people. They were all there: the fat kid, the cowboy, Kanye West, the train engineer, the old hag, the dog, and comb over guy. They’ve spent the last couple of weeks exploring the CatLady’s house. Then last Sunday dawned sunny, crisp and cool. Perfect for exploring the environs of Rochester.

So Vlad and I decided to take the Li’l People for a walk at the Thousand Acre Swamp. Or rather, Vlad and I were going for a walk and I insisted on taking the Li’l People with us, much to his chagrin.



The Thousand Acre Swamp is run by The Nature Conservancy. As such it is a preserve, so no domesticated animals are allowed. There are plenty of animals there already... deer, raccoons, herons, coyotes, snakes, etc. We felt slightly guilty because we had to sneak the Li’l Dog in with us. (Although, we first made him promise not to chase the deer.)

The Li’l People helped us sign in... so the authorities knew whether to go rescue us if we didn’t return by dark.

Then it was off to hit the trails.



We set off down the path. The leaves were plentiful on the ground, so we had to keep a close watch on the Li’l People to avoid stepping on them.









At the end of the long lane, we came to the boardwalk that winds through the swamp proper. The Li’l People enjoyed watching the multitude of birds that live at the swamp and kept their eyes peeled for frogs, fish & snakes in the water.





Mostly we just saw leaves in the water.








Soon after, the boardwalk wends it’s way through the cattails. They’ve not yet exploded into fluff, but are still in the process of drying out. Soon, though, soon! If you’ve never played with a cattail just as it’s about to release its seeds, you haven’t lived. If you get them just at the right time, you can run your fingertip along the brown, velvety section, which in turn creates a sudden burst of light, fluffy seeds. The air around you soon becomes a storm of flying fluff, which sneaks up your nose when you breathe in and causes you to sneeze. Good times! Good times!



Coming to the end of the boardwalk, you enter the woods. Beneath the canopy of trees, there are decaying stumps and logs, ripe with green moss and ferns.

We stopped for several photo ops, which totally embarrassed Vlad as he was worried someone would come by and see us.



Not so nervous, though, that he wouldn’t let Kanye stand guard while he took a leak.


"Vlad, I'm really happy for you and Ima let you finish, but I just wanna say, Niagara Falls has the most impressive fluid output of all time!"
*

*Thanks to Nanodance for improving this line!







From there we entered a section of the woods that was filled with creepy looking vines... perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit. You certainly wouldn’t want to spend much time thinking about what it would be like, fumbling around in the dark in this particular place with zombies after you! Be afraid! Be very afraid!







But eventually, the undergrowth thinned out. We found a couple of cool old trees that had great hide-out potential. The Li’l People asked if they could spend the night, but we had to remind them about dogs not being allowed in the park in the first place. We decided to move on.


Vlad found a tree that had grown over a fallen log... which had since disintegrated. Made for a fun photo op.










Finally, though, it was time to head back through the woods toward home. A good time was had by all and since no one observed our photo shoots with the Li’l People, Vlad is still speaking to me. I’ll just have to work a little harder next time in my attempt to humiliate him in public.




Until next time.....









Please consider supporting the Nature Conservancy!

Disclaimer: No Li’l People were harmed or lost during the making of this post.

35 comments:

Sonya said...

Your post made me laugh and smile! the disclaimer at the bottom was the BEST..lol The photos were fantastic! Lil People rock..happy sunday!

Jayne Martin said...

What a delightful post and such great photos. Those lil' people are darn lucky to be able to stroll through such a beautiful area. - Jayne

NJ Pigno said...

Come on Kanye, You can do better than that. How about...but Niagara Falls has the most impressive fluid output of all times.

Anonymous said...

Your Li'l People are adorable!

And what? Here I thought Vlad was a totally fictitious character here on your blog.

Ha!

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Sonya: Thanks for joining us on the walk!

Jayne: They've already asked to come along on the next walk!

Nanodance: Bwahahaha! I'm sorry... I just had to edit the post to include that... but I gave you full credit! Thanks! You're my most hilarious real-time friend ever!

Quirkyloon: Vlad IS fictitious. I only see him in my mind.

Nicole @ WhenDidIBecomeMyMom.com said...

Ima let you finish, but...
This might be my fave Sunday In my City yet!

NJ Pigno said...

I think I made a mistake- It should be all time, not all times.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Mom of Three: That line is now one of my faves... thanks to Nanodance!

Nanodance: Thanks, Edna!

Joanna Jenkins said...

I'm loving this Sunday In My City post. Very creative.
Thanks for sharing.
xo

Indigo Roth said...

Hey CatLady! I am told that one of the many pleasures in life as the years pass is embarrassing your children. Well played. Sympathies to Vlad. And of course, thanks to Kanye for his expert intervention. Indigo

Madame DeFarge said...

It's good that you took the L'il People out for a constitutional. They, like the rest of us, need regular exercise. I'll get mine by reading this. Far easier.

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden said...

Looks like the l'il people had a great time! Funny!

Mike said...

Nice pictures! Was Cartman one of the little people!? lol

Janice said...

Loved the Li'l People outing. Thanks for a big Sunday smile.

Anonymous said...

Thank God Kanye was on his best behavior for MOST of the trip! I'm glad Vlad went along with you and the Lil People!!!! Great pics!!!

rxBambi said...

This was so funny! I am really proud of both you and Vlad. If only I could get teenage girls to go for walks with me... even without Lil People.

You guys are awesome!

Kelly P said...

Your post was great!It looked like you had fun walking the trails.That, I would have fun doing.I love taking nature walks.Those lil'people are very photogenic.Ha!ha!They are cute.Glad you had fun!

You guys and the little people are awsome.!

Unknown said...

What a delightful post! I remember when my son was very young he LOVED the little People! They are cute as can be : ) So funny that your husband was nervous about people thinking you might be a little off your rocker photographing small toys
: ) Cute!

ReformingGeek said...

That was a fun post! You are obviously taking good care of those Lil' People. I bet they slept good!

gayle said...

Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley...he would enjoy a visit with you!!

Claudya Martinez said...

You are hilarious. I love those little people. Kanye needs to back off though. Sheesh, a person can't even pee without being interrupted by that guy.

K A B L O O E Y said...

If you need a counselor for another outing, let me know. I think I can take 'em on an Outward Bound style trip that will push them to their limits...make them grow up or die trying,,,teach them humility (are you listening, Kanye?) I can't HEAAAR YOUUU.

DontSayHurry said...

Has to be the cutest SIMC post ever!!! the lil people made the swamp look exciting!!

Anonymous said...

OK Cat Lady, it is scary enough you spent the afternoon with a mob of Lil people but to drag your son into this insanity fest, sheez! No, no, no this won't look good on your resume!

Dr Max Tunguska said...

Am I being followed by a Clinical Psychiatrist because I follow you, OR do I follow you because I am followed by a Clinical Psychiatrist.

Who can tell. Would your Li'l people get on with my Invisible Zebra, who could be a Giraffe or a donkey on a ladder.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Joanna: Why, thanks you my dear! Glad you liked it!

Indigo: I wish many children on you so that you might one day have the joy of humiliating them in public! (Vlad really should have become a follower when I suggested it so he could keep track of what I'm saying about him!) Bad mother! Bad mother! The good news is, I think he's now too old for me to have to go to Mommy Jail for my offenses.

Madame DeFarge: I believe the whole point of Sundays in My City is to provide opportunities for armchair constitutionals. Enjoy!

Carolyn: A good time was had by all!

Otin: I'm afraid Cartman is stuck over at Jules' house... he was grounded at the time the Li'l People came to live with me. Maybe he'll be featured soon in "Out of Tune Tuesday".

Janice: Ha Ha! Made you smile!

Jules: As you can see, the Li'l People are enjoying their new surroundings. Even Kanye! He's quickly learning that he can't talk smack to Hickory unless he wants to be gnawed upon.

Bambi: Poor Vlad... stuck with a crazy catless lady for a mother. So sad, so sad. (Maybe you could threaten your teens with writing about them if they don't go for a walk with you.)

Moooooog35 said...

Looks like somebody needs a hobby.

Unless posing Li'l People is it.

Then forget I said anything.

Unknown said...

Beautiful pic, Lady! I love that your son participates in your madness. I hope when my boys grow up, they participate in mine. ;)

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Donna: Thanks for coming along for the walk!

Life with Kaishon: No spouse... just the kid. Spouse thought I was definitely off my rocker, so he traded me in for a younger, thinner, more alluring specimen. His loss as he's missing all the fun.

Reffie: Tired children are happy children. We all slept well after that!

Gayle: I know Flat Stanley well. The Li'l People are invited to his birthday party next month.

Mami: I know, you just can't take Kanye anywhere with you anymore without him having to interrupt with his two cents worth!

K a b l o o e y: When Vlad went on Outward Bound, I sent him some tiny AquaTeen Hunger Force paper dolls that I drew... they were much admired by his fellow canoeists! (And made his solo experience much more entertaining!)

New Mami, (as opposed to old unknown mami): The Li'l People complained at first about going to the swamp, but they ended up having a good time.

frigginloon: You should see what shenanigans I got up to with my Kindergarten class. I was very popular with the wee set, but it just doesn't translate well into a resume.

idifficult: I believe the correct answer is "all of the above." And I think I met your Invisible Zebra. We actually used to have a donkey when we were growing up, but I don't think it was the same one... is yours named Harry?

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Moooooog: This is what comes of being unemployed. Waaaay too much time on my hands.

Summer: I wish you a lifetime of goofy activities with your boys!

The Old Silly said...

Beautiful post - so visual! Love the enchanted forest feel.

Marvin D Wilson

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Marvin: I like all my forests to be enchanted!

Pearl said...

That was so cute!!

Pearl

spudballoo said...

Brilliant! I love it...x

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Pearl: Vlad you liked it!

spudballoo: A good time was had by all... see what you have to look forward to with your kids! Total humiliation!

Related Posts with Thumbnails