I took a short but lovely vacation at the beginning of the kids’ spring break week. We went down to New York City to visit family and tour the four zoos there (Bronx, Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens).

The weather was alternately hot and sunny or windy and freezing, but we’re Mainers, so we had a blast. Highlights were the Fennec foxes, sea lions, gorillas, and these adorable little grass mice that hop from the top of one tall weed to another.

The universe loves great irony, though, and one should never forget that.  When I got back to work on Thursday, a little zoo had sprouted up at the Library.

OK, I’m exaggerating. But guess who’s back? Zeus, our favorite sweet and furry guinea pig. We had nearly succeeded in re-homing him to a lovely patron. They hit it off instantly, she took him home, they were just meant to be. Or so we thought. Turns out she’s allergic to him. So I waltzed in all relaxed/frazzled from vacation, and there he was, back in the Children’s Room.

The good news is, Miss Harolyn absolutely adores him. She had already planned so many fun programs and story times around him, and had been disappointed to find out that we’d given him away in the short time between when she interviewed and when she started here. So this time, he’s definitely staying for good.

If you’ve missed our squeaky little rodent, be sure to come on by and say hello again. There are a few new rules surrounding his care that we have posted by the cage, but that I’ll reiterate here. The first is that kids will only be allowed to feed him at his 2 p.m. public feeding time. Kind of like with the sea lions at the zoo. One of the best things that his temporary mom had accomplished was getting him to do his business in the lower part of his cage only. This makes cleaning up after him much easier, and we want to keep this up. However, since guinea pigs poo where they eat (eww!), keeping this up means only feeding him in his one feeding spot. Miss Harolyn will make sure that happens during the supervised feeding time. Also, we don’t want him getting too porky. He is a guinea pig after all!

Second: We’re going to hold off on holding and petting him while he’s readjusting to his return. Kids will be allowed to snuggle and read to him again soon, but be sure to check with Miss Harolyn to find out when he’s ready. We don’t need him stress shedding all over the place.

The Library zoo also houses a very small fish; Joanna also brought a baby beta fish named Frieda Pearl while I was on vacation. You can’t feed or hold her, sorry. She’s just one tiny fish right now, but who knows. Maybe she’ll inspire a whole aquarium.

That’s spring for you: green things, flowers, and new life sprouting up all around. It’s wonderful.

Maybe next vacation, I’ll tour a bunch of treasuries. Then I can come back to find piles of money everywhere!

Upcoming events

Monday Night Book Club: Monday, May 14, 7:30 p.m. “The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck.

Refreshing the Whodunit: Saturday, May 12, 10:30 a.m. “A Cold Day For Murder” by Dana Stabenow.

Book Focus Group: Wednesday, May 16, 4:30 p.m. “In Defense of Women” by H.L. Mencken. Community Room.

Friday Story Hour: Hear a story, make a craft, and sing a song with Miss Pam and Miss Harolyn. 10:15 a.m., ages birth to 5.

Minecraft Play Club: Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m.