Oh, To Write Like Beatrix Potter

Brought to you by the friendly sparrows.

One of my earliest memories involves snuggling with my mom and younger brother in mom's bed in the middle of the day while she read to us my favorite book, Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

I was captivated by this book.  The illustrations fascinated me with charming detail.  The smallness of the book itself felt special.  The characters enchanted me.  Mr. Mc Gregor's shadowy presence always looming nearby suggesting danger.  Peter possessed a willingness to be naughty in a way I couldn't have imagined doing myself. But it was the words that took hold of my imagination and would not let go.

Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself.

I remember this line tripping across mom's tongue as she read. It was absolutely lyrical and I begged her to read it again and again. I didn't understand what the individual words meant exactly, but from context I knew Peter was stuck and the birds were urging him towards freedom.  I knew that if anyone in great excitement ever implored me to exert myself, I would do it!

I also knew that I wanted to experience the delightful sensation I felt when those words were rhythmically presented many times in my life.  At first I was content to hear words and phrases other people had put together.  Sometime around junior high I began to experiment with my own words.

The written word has brought me great joy.  It has allowed me to connect with others.  I may never be a great American author, but I will always feel the urge to write.  As I go about other tasks throughout the day phrases and stories swirl through my imagination. I look forward to the quiet time as the day ends when I feverishly commit word to paper responding to the friendly sparrows in my mind.

Bunny Prints

mamakatslosinit.com

A Throw Back from April 2013 when I wrote about an Easter memory for Mama Kat's Workshop.

Shield’s IGA  was a block and a half from my house as a kid.  Junior ran the store employing not only his own kids but a bunch of the locals as well.  At least three of my older brothers held jobs there in high school.

A special display of large chocolate bunnies caught my eye one spring.  Solid chocolate with a real ribbon at the neck, they watched me with their sugar-dot eyes standing on the front of the cart as Mom pushed by the display.  My mouth watered thinking about the chocolatey goodness of the bunnies, but their sheer size told me they were out of our price range.  I didn’t bother mentioning them to my mother.

The car had barely come to a stop as we returned home from Easter services that year before my younger brother and I were rolling out of the backseat on a mission to find our baskets.  Our house had no lawn, rather patches of mud alternated with patches of grass and dandelions.  It was around one of the muddy patches that we found the most amazing tracks.

We inspected them closely and were convinced they were bunny tracks.  There was only one small trail of the special tracks, but it was enough to lead us to two of the large chocolate bunnies I had been dreaming of.

Bill was the brother working as a carry-out at the IGA that year.  We grabbed our bunnies and ran straight to him hoping he might be able to shed some light on the mysterious tracks in the yard or how the special chocolate bunnies had come to be ours.  He laughed and assured us he knew nothing about our Easter treats.  Eventually, we gave up our interrogation and turned our attention to bites of chocolate bunny ears.  It was hard to stay focused on the mystery with that sweet taste on my tongue, but somehow I suspected Brother Bill knew the Easter Bunny a lot better than he was willing to let on.

A Bunny Tale: Or How Cookie Became Cookie Monster

I understand that many people find bunnies to be delightful indoor pets.
I met Cookie, The Most Mellow and Easy Going Bunny in the World and knew she would be my indoor bunny.

Cookie dazzled with her ability to learn to use the litter box in a single day, such a good indoor bunny was she.

Cookie grew into a teenage bunny with all the hormones and instinctual behaviors that accompany that stage of a rabbit’s life.

Cookie chewed the cabinets.

Cookie chewed wires.

The iPod, the stereo, the air conditioner wiring were all to Cookie’s liking.

Cookie opened cabinet doors and climbed inside.

Cookie jumped atop a chair with a cushioned seat that was delightfully tasty to an indoor bunny such as she.

Cookie claimed the countertops in the mudroom as her domain, clearing the space of annoying, fragile antiques and excess greenery as she saw fit.

I can see you, Cookie!

Mr. Pet Owner’s to-do list grew:  rewire appliances, sand cabinets, practice anger management skills, build rabbit hutch.

Now Cookie, The Most Lively and Acrobatic Outdoor Bunny in the World lives in the Cookie Palace out back and peace has returned to our humble home.

Inspired by Mama Kat’s challenge to tell a story in 12 lines; and, really, the less said about the Cookie debacle, the better.

Originally published in 2013. Three years later Cookie is still well loved and living in my backyard.