Prospector Ranch Welcomes a Talkative New Furry Family Member….Or Did We?
Jorge, Boomerang, and our new talkative family member, Francis! Photo and editing done by Natalia Radcliffe
~ Natalia Radcliffe ~Did you know that this week we adopted a talking mule? His name is Francis and him and our other mule Jorge are quickly becoming the best of friends. It’s so sweet to see the two of them playing together, getting into shenanigans and enjoying life to the fullest. Francis especially enjoys yelling "hi friend” to the guests (their reactions are so funny) and and talking Meggan’s ear off whenever she spends time with him. he shares all the gossip about the other animals who call Prospector Ranch home. His adorable nature and charming wit are quickly becoming popular with anyone who visits.
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So, did we get you?
Happy belated April Fools!
For years people (and even businesses and organizations) have been merrily pranking unsuspecting people for years on the first day of April. But where did this fun little holiday come from anyway?
Well, there is no one agreed upon origin story for this holiday.
Some say that the holiday as we know it started all the way back in the 1500s when the king of France at the time, Charles IX, decreed that the new year would no longer start on Easter (as it had been up to that point in a country that was majority Christian), but on January 1 instead. As we all know the day Easter falls on changes from year to year, those that didn’t accept the changed New Year date were called “April Fools”.
Others say that the holiday may have been influenced by the vernal equinox (falling on March 21), when people could be fooled by the weather, due to the night and day being the same, and the earth slowly entering into another season.
Regardless of the origins, many countries around the world today celebrate the holiday. In Scotland, the holiday is known as Gowkie Day or Hunt the Gowk (the animal, also referred to as a cuckoo, is a symbol of the fool), and the day after, known as Tailie Day, people pin signs that read “kick me” to their friend’s backs. Here in the United States, we had one year where Taco Bell claimed it had purchased the Liberty Bell (owned by Philadelphia, and the National Park service maintains it) and renamed it to the Taco Liberty Bell. There was such an outroar to that statement that the National Park Service had to hold a press conference assuring people that Taco Bell had in fact not bought the Liberty Bell.
This year, we hope you didn’t get too badly pranked. After all, a little harmless fun can be a way to bond with others and make the day more interesting. Isn’t that right, Francis?
Information obtained from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/April-Fools-Day
