When Your Wedding Ring Goes Down the Drain

 That moment when you realize that your wedding ring went down a black sludge filled drain is not a moment to be thankful for...even if it is the Attitude of Gratitude month! 

I was at work and had taken off my ring to throw straw bales. I had no desire to have my fingers pop off again if the ring got caught. After throwing hundreds of bales I was hot and sweaty. And hungry. I went to get some lunch. I ordered and pulled put my phone to check emails while I waited for my food. Because I was still hot and sweaty my ring stuck to my phone and it fell out. 

It bounced once by my foot, rolled under the counter holding the soda fountain and must have rolled fast because it went 10 feet away and right into the drain! 

I was shocked that it went there. I spent the next 20 minutes laying on the floor searching as people filled up drinks over my head. I finally admitted to myself it must have gone down the drain. 

I thenspent the next hour with my arms deep in black slimy sludge all the way up to my elbows trying to retrieve the ring. 

My gag reflex was threatening to make me puke. My arm got stuck in the hole twice and that triggered my claustrophobia because I was already struggling to breath and was inside a small cupboard.

I tried to get it with tongs. I emptied handfuls and handfuls of black sludge. No luck. 

The facilities guys came to help. Guests were now also worried for me (they had been watching me rolling around on the floor with foul smelling black slime all over me) and were actively suggesting solutions.  

We tried big spoons...we tried 3 different magnets hoping I had a cheap enough ring that had some metal alloys that were not just gold (gold is not magnetic). No luck. 

The final effort was a shop vac. We ducked out more rancid slime guess what?! My ring!

So I may have scratches on my arms from the experience...and I had to scrub under my nails for two days to get all the black off...I dosed my arms in sanitizer three different times, washed with soap and scalding hot water, then more sanitizer. But hey, I had my RING!

Feeding Penguins in the Desert

 

This last week we were able to do something really fun--we were able to feed the penguin waddle at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, UT. It is something the two Muggles have wanted to do since they were told that it was available! 

The day finally arrived. We had them get out of school early for an in-person educational day! We first met with an Educator who spent time telling us all about penguins--how the behave, where they live, what they eat, etc. It was really interesting to learn all of those details. 

We then donned some heavy coats so we could go into the penguin exhibit and not be too cold! 

They had us sit down in a room just behind the exhibit and once we were on benches they gave us some more information about feeding the penguins. They also talked more about the penguin waddle at the aquarium and how they have hatched penguins. 

There were lots of rules--these are wild animals so we cannot touch them, they poop every 10 minutes,...they bite etc. They gave us a bowl of fish each and then opened the doors! 

It was so much fun to see the penguins come into the room. They were so excited to get some food. 

I let Koala Bear share my bowl of fish after she had already given all of hers away. I was ok with that because I was already taking photos anyway. I looked down and this penguin---Runner--decided that he wanted to see if I had fish and came and stood right between my knees. With all the warning about the penguins biting I was not sure I was so comfortable with him being that...ahem...close! HAHA

Once they were sure none of us had any more food, they decided it was time to go back to the water. As soon as they left Koala Bear exclaimed that she wanted to do it again! 

It was so much fun to learn more about penguins and what they do to survive. To be that close to them and see them thriving was something we will always remember. After we went around and watched them swim and be playful with each other--we could call them out by name (their name tags are bracelets on their wings) and talked about which ones we like best!