Once in a while, I just like to randomly click on a link that some other knitter has on their page (I never, but never, have time to do the whole ring-surf these days).

Well, today I happened upon Wildly Crafty, the weblog of a knitting vet tech who works at the zoo.

I was caught by her comment that the hospital she works at has a giant anteater as its mascot - a real, live, honest-to-God giant anteater.

Now, you must understand something about me*: when I was a child, if I could have had any pet in the world, it would have been a giant anteater. Giant anteaters just look cool. I wanted one badly. I used to look at the pages of the Big Book of Wild Animals that my aunt and uncle sent me for Christmas one year, and stare at the drawings of anteaters, and think how neat it would be to have one for a pet.

I even once endeavored to make a toy anteater for myself. It was successful enough to my eight or nine year old eyes to be somewhat of a proxy for the real thing that I realized, even then, I'd never be allowed to own.

but a real giant anteater - even an old and cranky one who only comes out to be fed - wow, that's just cool.


(* which is fast becoming my tagline, I think)