Petting a Sturgeon and Feeding Trout

My kids will never be able to say we don’t do fun and crazy things.  In fact, I am always asking them if they will always remember me as being a fun and crazy mom that made them laugh all the time.  Case in point… a couple of weeks ago, in a dreary, rainy, cold day we went to the local fish farm and petted a sturgeon and fed rainbow trout.

Down the road from our house is a fish farm that raises rainbow trout and produces products using the fish they raise, as well as selling local craft beers and all types of decor and fish pond supplies.  We have driven by it several times and always say “we should go in there some time.”  Coming home from school a few Fridays ago, we stopped to check it out.

Out back of the store area, is a huge pole barn that has various types of animals and fish (mostly) native to Ohio.  Beside the pole barn are these huge pools where the trout live.  When you feed them, the trout jump up and splash you.  (I know, mommy of the year award right there… cold water, cold weather…)

You can kinda see them in the picture above where they are jumping/fighting for the “tasty” (and smelly) pellets we were feeding them.

Once I convinced the kids and Nana that we needed to thaw out, we went into the pole barn to see the different fish and other things they had on display.  We got to see a large turtle.

As well as an alligator… or crocodile… not sure which.  (Its because I didn’t pay attention… I was too creeped out about the fact that it was only behind a thin mesh screen.)

The coolest part (well, at least to me) was getting to pet a sturgeon.  A sturgeon is a friendly fish that almost acts like a puppy… they will stick their heads out of the water so you can pet them and will jostle each other trying to get the attention of whomever is doing the petting.  I petted a couple.  Mo just played in the cold water (yes, definitely mommy of the year worthy) and Bo wanted nothing to do with either them or the water.

One of the delicacies the farm sells is smoked trout foods.  When you stop in, they give you samples and Miss Mo tried (and loved) the smoked trout mousse.  So much so, she asked me to buy a container.  A SMALL container.  Very expensive.  Obviously, Mo is going to have expensive tastes…  of course, her mommy was cracking her own crab legs at her age, but I digress…

I am waiting for her to put two and two together and realize we are eating the trout she fed out back.

Julia is the divorced mom of twins, a blogger, a sometimes crafter, crazy snailmailer, and a corporate bean counter. In her "spare" time, she scrapbooks, travels, makes cards, blogs, designs jewelry, searches for missing cleats and pom poms, enjoys good dark chocolate, and sneaks naps.