It's time for a Giraffe story

How about if I do this backwards for a change? And tell you the story last? Of course, if you really can't stand it, you could scroll down and read the little story first.

Here are some giraffes from around our house. These are ALL Michael's giraffes because of what happened. I had to hold this little baby giraffe up because he's only a baby and can't seem to sit up well on his own.

This is a special bank giraffe that I found in the gift shop of the hospital right after Michael had his open heart surgery four years ago. It felt like a little gift from God to be able to find it when I wanted something special to give Michael. It is a 'for quarters only' bank so he can get rich quick that way!

Next we have the bigger stuffed giraffe and this is the momma to the baby one (my thoughts), but I can't recall where I got him. (But then again, I usually can't recall what I went downstairs for until I come back upstairs...the rule seems to be that the farther away I get from what I needed, the sooner I can remember what it was!)

This next guy is the biggest one we have and he came from Kirkland's and was a Christmas gift two years ago (once in awhile there a few live brain cells in my head and I remember something). He was supposed to be a doorstop, but I didn't want him getting kicked around because giraffes are supposed to be the kickers, not the kickees! (In the back you will see some of Tinka's Freshies and trust me, her breath at times, needs all the freshies it can get).

I found this sign at the zoo and it hangs on the wall to the side of Michael's sink. It fits in perfectly with my jungle themed bathroom (will share that in a future post as well).
Now for the slightly slimy story (great alliteration, there, huh?):

Shortly after we got married, we went to the Phoenix Zoo (no, I was NOT trying to take him back). For those of you who have never been, it is designed to look incredibly like their natural habitat. And for those of you who have never gotten up close and personal with a giraffe, let me tell you that it is a very interesting experience...we had to climb up a lot of stairs and go to a railing, much like the one in this picture. There was a vending machine with giraffe pellet food that you could buy and then put in your hand and drop on the giraffe's tongues when they came up to the railing.

Now, one would think that the 'rules' would be followed with feeding them this way, but noooooooooo, not Michael. Instead of dropping it on their tongues (like everybody else, I might add), he decides to let the giraffe eat from his hand!! The giraffes in these pictures have small tongues

compared to the big, black, slobbering tongues of the giraffes he was feeding. The giraffe even wrapped his drooling, slimy, dripping with saliva tongue around Michael's hand...totally disgusting. Then Michael has the nerve to turn to me and put his dripping hand out for more food! Brande was taking pictures and she caught me making the most disgusted face...it is one of my very favorite pictures. Michael was happy as a lark, with his drippy hand as he kept on feeding them! It made me laugh so hard...of course he also wanted to hug or shake hands with all of us.

Interesting Facts About Giraffes
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"The Latin name for the giraffe is Giraffa camelopardilas, which reflects the idea of a camel with leopard spots.

Their natural habitat is the savannah of Africa where they can grow to 20 ft tall.

If you think about it, that must put some load on their heart to pump blood to that height.

When in a group, they can be referred to as a 'tower of giraffes'. Other collective nouns include a corps of giraffes and more commonly, a herd of giraffes.

Male giraffes are called bulls and the females are cows.

Young giraffes are called calves, although some people call them cubs. Within an hour of birth these babies are able to walk with their mothers. Amazingly, these calves are as tall as the average person.

If you ever see live giraffes, then the first surprise is how graceful they are; despite their long legs and neck, they glide over the ground. To prevent them tripping over their own legs, when they run, the front legs land inside the hind legs. Still pictures of giraffes don't do justice to their athletic movement in nature.

Just as we humans all have distinct faces, so giraffes all have distinct markings or patterns.

Watch for the neck, giraffes show their emotions by the position of their head, submissive - near the horizontal; aggressive, standing tall. It strikes me as one of the wonders of nature how their hearts can pump blood all the way up to their heads.

Let us correct some mis-conceptions about giraffes:

a) Giraffes can lie down.

They just can't TELL lies.

b) They only have the same NUMBER of neck vertebrae as other mammals - 7.

But one vertebrae is 30 feet long!

c) Giraffes are NOT mute. They converse in grunts, but also by sound outside the human hearing range.

Much like the human adult male.

d) Their 'horns' are really bony protuberances covered with skin and are true horns like cattle. "

Does this mean they're related?

Now for a few (corny) giraffe jokes:

A man walked into a bar with his giraffe, and asked the barman for a pint for himself & one for the giraffe. They drank up, and then a few more followed, and before long, the giraffe (who was a very inexperienced drinker) was flat on the floor. The man, naturally, couldn't carry such a large animal home, so he left it in the bar, and, as he was leaving, the barman yelled: "Hey, you can't leave that lyin' there!"
The man turned around and said, "It's OK, it's not a lion, it's a giraffe!"

Q: What do you get when you cross a giraffe with a hedgehog?

Answer: A six-foot toothbrush.

Question: Why do Giraffes have long necks?

Answer: Because their feet stink.

~~~Thank You, Lord for the blessings of giraffes and learning new things and enjoying Your creation.