There’s a giraffe in the corner of our living room. Honest.
He stands 5 feet 9 inches, has a noble head, dreamy eyes, and his name is William.
We even had a party to introduce him to our neighbors.
I blame this situation on my 90-year-old mother. OK, hear me out.
It actually started back in mid-February when we had the ice storm and the accompanying electrical outages. You remember. If you had any large pine trees in your yard they seemed to take the worst hit. I’m still picking up branches from the tall poplars on our property.
We were lucky. We lost electric for only eight hours. But my mother who lives in Devon was still without hers the next morning. Upon learning this, Tom and I drove over to her place, quickly packed her clothes, favorite blanket, meds, foods and Tiki, her Siamese cat.
And what we thought would be an over-night stay turned into a week. You’d think those blue bloods on the Main Line would rank a little higher in the hearts of PECO. Obviously not.
But we had a great time. Mother discovered she loved the boneless chicken appetizers when we ordered Dominos Pizza one evening; she learned it’s perfectly normal to make a “Wawa Run” at 8 at night; she had fun turning on our gas fireplace with the little remote, and Tiki claimed Tom’s favorite reclining chair as her own — and lived.
OK, stay with me. The giraffe part is coming.
On the last evening, mother was sitting on our couch talking to Tom about his life-long love of carousels and carousel animals.
You see, his Uncle John A. Smith managed the old Lenape Amusement Park (now the Brandywine Picnic Park) from the mid 1940s to the mid 1960s. Uncle John loved the large 1926 Dentzel carousel and at one point offered to buy the park from owner John V. Gibney, but Gibney wasn’t ready to sell.
Lenape Amusement Park continued as a popular attraction until 1976, when Gibney, then 92 years old, sold it.
But ever since, Tom’s dream has been to own a carousel figure — not just a horse — but a giraffe.
So then it happened.
My mother said, (drum roll please) “Tom, you’re 64 years old, what are you waiting for?”
Within seconds Tom had his iPhone out of his pocket and was on the Web site — the one that all carousel collectors know about. He knew exactly which one he wanted.
And since the giraffe looked very distinguished and was carved in the same year my late father was born, we decided to name him William.
A few weeks later, after all the necessary paper work had been completed, William arrived.
See Tom smile.
It’s not every day you have a giraffe in your living room. I’ve even taken to saying “good morning” to William. Yeah, I know, it’s a little strange. One day I put reading glasses on him to make Tom laugh. I’m looking for Easter rabbit ears too.
So here’s our lesson for today, boys and girls: Think about your own bucket list. Is there a “living room giraffe” in your future?
As my mother said, “What are you waiting for?”
About Sally Denk Hoey
Sally Denk Hoey, is a Gemini - one part music and one part history. She holds a masters degree cum laude from the School of Music at West Chester University. She taught 14 years in both public and private school. Her CD "Bard of the Brandywine" was critically received during her almost 30 years as a folk singer. She currently cantors masses at St Agnes Church in West Chester where she also performs with the select Motet Choir. A recognized historian, Sally serves as a judge-captain for the south-east Pennsylvania regionals of the National History Day Competition. She has served as president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates as well as the Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford where she now curates the violin collection. Sally re-enacted with the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment for 19 years where she interpreted the role of a campfollower at encampments in Valley Forge, Williamsburg, Va., Monmouth, N.J. and Lexington and Concord, Mass. Sally is married to her college classmate, Thomas Hoey, otherwise known as "Mr. Sousa.”
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