With January coming to an end, the spring thaw began. Because of this, there were some new things learned, especially about Ice Age Animalians:
Manfred was learning that, while a fur coat was good for winter, it wasn’t as good for spring and possibly summer. Fortunately, his dose had been constructed with a sample of mammoth DNA from a species that had been found in Nebraska. Apparently this species was more adaptable to climate fluctuations, and capable of shedding its winter coat. While Manfred had “inherited” that capability, it didn’t shed all at once, which made some people wonder if he was sick.
Another thing that was learned was that, while the Chinese Year of the Dog festival would be happening in February, the Spring Carnival was going to be happening closer to the Spring Equinox, and thus wouldn’t be happening at the same time. While some would be disappointed at that, others were a bit more relieved.
Cheaper by the Dozens wasn’t solely about two parents trying to keep track of fifty children while doing things, it was also about the Piper Brood encountering things for the first time that humans would otherwise take for granted. While feral rats were “neophobic” as a rule, the Piper Brood would often react to new things in a way that was humorous for the people and somewhat exasperated for the mother.
Many Animalians also started shedding their winter coats around this time, and often used Siam Shine’s special Spring Shedding offers to get it done. Sheep and Goat Animalians got a special discount for donating their wool to charities, which Countess Irena eagerly took advantage of.
While the Mister and Miss Farmhand Pageant was the main debate at the Council, there was some stuff locked down for both Valentine’s Day and the Year of the Dog Festival. To make the most of it, it was decided to have the festivities span the three days before and after the Chinese New Year celebrations. During the both celebrations, there would be Adult-only parties at the Meat Market which matched the themes for both celebrations. While the things that made last year’s Chinese New Year fun would be returning, there would be some new things coming to the Valentine’s Day celebrations, such as a matchmaking service to try to find bondmates for single Animalians, as well as a Dinotopian meet-and-greet party.
While spring could still be defined as dependent on Groundhog Day, there was still a lot of spring prep going on in Animalia.