Welcome to Issue #260 of My Monday Memo
by Rachel Brandes
Quote of the Week
“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.”
– Viktor Frankl, Austrian psychologist
Today is Monday, May 19, 2025
National Devil’s Food Cake Day
Happily Ever After
https://www.everafterphotographypnw.com/
Ever After Photography PNW is owned and operated by photographer extraordinaire, Mira Nachtigall. Mira specializes in birth, maternity, and newborn photography.
Random Photo of the Week
Brillant yellow flowers outside of the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. Photo by Rachel.
Feline Tomfoolery
with Brady & Belichick
Dear Humans,
Finally, a week to myself without Brady hogging the spotlight. I am a unique and beautiful boy. Enough said.
Much Love, Belichick
Brady & Belichick are Rachel’s adorable felines. Brady is a short hair and very dominant and athletic, much like his namesake (Forever Patriots). Belichick, aka Beli, the long hair, was the runt of their litter and is much more passive, until provoked. These two cute boys turned two on May 4, 2025.
Mental Health Minute
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
All resources shared in this week’s Mental Health Minute are located at SAMHAS.gov, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Learn more about how to help someone by clicking on the link below.
The Littles Got Big
It’s been a long while since Aubrey and Zach, affectionately called ‘The Littles’ by Rachel, have been in the My Monday Memo. All for good reason… They’ve been busy growing up, making friends and participating in sports. Aubrey has been spending her time riding horses and running track and Zach has been perfecting his strokes as a swimmer. Rachel recently joined Aubrey and Zach with their parents, longtime friends Mira and Billy, at the Tacoma Rainiers baseball game where Zach joined his class in singing the National Anthem prior to the game. Pictured below on the left is Aubrey, Rachel and Zach at the game and on the right, there they are several years ago celebrating Rachel’s birthday at the beach. She loves to see these kiddos grow.
Zoo Day- Visit 5, 6 & 7 of 25
at
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Rachel has really been slacking on reporting her zoo visits as of late but has been enjoying the zoo both solo and with friends. Let’s see what is new at the zoo.
Pictured Above: Friends Josh and Angeline joined Rachel for a visit to the zoo, which would be five-week-old Zach’s first visit.
Mission Safari
Welcome to the Mission Safari Adventure Maze. This is a newer attraction at the zoo and is only going to be on display through October 26, 2025. From the moment you step into the maze, you find yourself in an interactive wildlife adventure.
The divider panels are filled with questions, answers, pictures and learning materials. If you answer the questions one way, you turn right, the other, you turn left. No matter which way you turn, you learn. There are even hands on areas in which kids (big and little) can participate.
As you will see below, some kids visiting the exhibits did more than read, they embodied the exhibits.
Pictured Above & Below: Friend Mira poses as a Golden Poison Frog above while she and Rachel pose with a beautiful tiger below. With those poses, they both look like tigers in the wild, right?
Rachel was happy to have friends to hang with while she visited the zoo, literally. The sloth exhibit allows kids to hang like a sloth and of course Rachel and her friends wanted to play. In the photos below, top to bottom, Angeline, Rachel and Mira have fun playing. This was more difficult than it looked. Rachel happened to catch the funniest moment on Mira’s face rather than a smile.
Hey, look down there, it’s Zach again. Zach’s dad saw this exhibit and knew he needed a photo of Zach posing inside the flower, as both Zach and the flower are ‘Big, Bold and Stinky!’ Rachel doesn’t believe this at all. Zach smells amazing. She also posed with the flower. Doesn’t she look cozy just sitting there? Wait, there was no seat, her muscles were on fire holding that pose. Worth it.
There were a few other hands-on activities, as well, which Rachel definitely tried out. Upon exiting the Mission Safari Adventure Maze, she felt as though she had been to the gym.
To learn more about the Mission Safari Adventure Maze, visit this link: Mission Safari at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
Sweet Baby Zach
Just look at this beautiful boy. Rachel can’t get enough of this little guy and was sure to sniff him and soak in that new baby smell as much as she could.
What is a Muskox?
While these inhabitants of the Artic Tundra sure do resemble the bantha from Star Wars films, they are not movie stars. Nonetheless, Rachel sure does find enjoyment in watching them at the zoo.
The PDZA family of muskoxen has grown during the time Rachel has been visiting the zoo over the years. When she first started visiting, it was just Hudson and Charlotte, and old couple roaming the field. Still, enjoyable to watch, as their slow movements in the vast space are peaceful and calming.
In June of 2020, Charlotte gave birth to a boy, Trebek. Yes, he was named after the Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek. Trebek was moved to an Alaskan Farm at the age of one year.
In September of 2023, Willow was born. She remains at the zoo with her parents and has been joined by a new friend, Pretzel. Pretzel is a more recent addition and was brought in specifically to be a companion to Willow. These two girls share one side of the enclosure, while Hudson and Charlotte share the other. According to the PDZA, as the girls grow, the plan is for all four muskoxen to share the same space.
Below on the left is Charlotte from one visit to the zoo and on the right is Hudson enjoying some grub during another visit. Far below is the second visit with Charlotte grazing in the background while Hudson chows.
Just like anyone else, the muskox can get an itch. When they scratch that itch, it sure can be entertaining for humans. If you listen loud enough on the below video, you will hear the commentary by a nearby dad visitor while Hudson scratches an itch. Enjoy.
On the other side of the enclosure, meet Willow and Pretzel. When Rachel asked the zookeeper how to tell the difference between the two, she was told that Pretzel is a bit disheveled compared to Willow. A bit? It was easy to tell the difference with this information. Can you guess who is who?
To learn more about the PDZA Muskox family, visit this link: Muskox at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Arctic Tundra.
There is now a new baby Tapir at PDZA, which is one of Rachel’s favorite animals to watch. Her name is Ume, and she just made her debut this past weekend. Did Rachel get to see her? Continue reading the My Monday Memo to find out. Until next time, be well.
Rachel’s goal for 2025 is to visit the zoo at least 25 times. This shouldn’t be tough with her annual pass to the beautiful Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) in Tacoma, Washington.