Cathy in the Wright

Yes, You Can Take the City Out of the Girl...

Today was a long, fun, exhausting day. The Senator and I picked up his preschool friend and his mom, and we headed out to Nelson's Farm near Litchfield. (Nearby Meeker County)

In a nutshell: pumpkin farm and petting zoo.

The Senator loved it. He got to pet all kinds of critters, hold a baby chick, catch a rabbit, ride a pony, and eat mini-donuts.

I had a pretty good time as well. I kept thinking about the tremendous differences between city and country. Things are just done so differently.

Country: petting zoo.
City: Interactive natural sciences environmental center.

Country: Mini-donuts and hot dogs
City: Soy milk and biscotti

Country: Pony rides
City: Watch a video about explotation of undersized equine.

Here's a perfect example. In one room of the "Hen House" we came across this:

A box of chicks. No one in the room. No signs or notes. Just a box of two dozen baby chicks. Help yourself. Little Johnny squeeze one too hard? We'll get another.

In the city you'd have an interpreter who would allow you to perhaps hold a chick under supervised conditions while describing the horrors of baby chickens torn from under the wings of their mothers, deep-fried to lead you down the path to childhood obesity, and served up as the crunchy McNuggets you b*stards all eat in your bloody Happy Meals.

PETA protesters?

City: Let's have a meaningful dialogue and work together to come up with a mission statement on how to develop a proactive, learning environment that treats animals and possibly humans in the most humane way.

Country: Earl? You still got your .22 in the back of the truck?

I don't have all the city completely drummed out of me yet. (I did suggest that the rabbits unionize because they could have used better working conditions and mandatory 15 minute breaks every couple of hours.)

But I won't be moving back anytime soon.

Posted by Cathy at October 16, 2003 09:20 PM