A Trip to the Zoo

Today, we went to the zoo. Ruth has been having lots of pain in her hips, ankles, knees, so it was an adventure in pain for her. James & Joy were eager to go. Normally, James spends all day Sunday in our bed, listening to the radio. Joy loves to just stay home. But there was no trouble getting them dressed and out of the house for a trip to the zoo. The zoo closes at 5 PM (they'll let you wander until 6), and since we got there after 4 didn't have a lot of time (I can hear all those with autistic children going "uh-oh"). So, we warned them we would only have time to do the Africa section. (For them, the zoo is the rides - the boats, the train, the carousal, the aerial tram, and only the aerial tram is in the Africa area.)
They were great - very patient with Ruth as she had to rest frequently. We got to ride the aerial tram, see the lions, the zebra, the giraffe, and drum on the drums. By the time we got through the Africa section, it was 5:58. James was then ready to ride the carousel (saw it coming, didn't you). Ruth was calculating the distance to the exit to see if she could make it that far. James started to whine and ask for the boats, the train, the farm, the carousel. We told him - they're closed. Maybe we'll come back another day and do those things. Reluctantly, he got in the van. All the way to the restaurant, he continued fussing. Then, Joy piped up that she wasn't hungry, and just wanted to go home.
In earlier days, this would have been a recipe for disaster. But, we went into the restaurant, and had dinner. I am so proud of James & Joy - they were able to move on from what they wanted, and to adapt and enjoy what was happening instead. It was a good day, and we had a great time together.