Kiss My Knits!

Spring has brought caterpillars to our yard, and my daughter is fascinated by them. She want them to turn into butterflies while she’s watching. I’ve explained that it takes time, that the caterpillars have to eat and get big and then spin their cocoons, but she is undeterred. She scoops up caterpillars and deposits them on leaves she has picked. “The caterpillar will eat!” she says, and if one tries to crawl off its leaf, she picks it back up and puts it back where it should be. She’s insistent, but gentle. She hasn’t hurt one yet this year.

After a caterpillar has been loved by her a little, though, I take pity and explain to her that we need to let that caterpillar alone, that it wants to crawl off into the grass. “It wants to go turn into a butterfly!” she tells me.

Last time my daughter and I were at Tuesday Morning, she spotted a doll she wanted. That was a couple of weeks ago, and she’s still talking about it, so we went back. My father’s place is along the way, so we swung by and visited, and he came with us. He seldom goes out with us, so that was very nice. It’s only a couple of blocks, but still. And, in the way of all grandpas, he bought her the doll she wanted.

What I wasn’t expecting was that I would find something too!

Debbie Bliss Cotton Knits for all seasons. It was only $5 for a hardcover version! There was a little cut on the jacket, but otherwise it was in excellent shape. And because my dad is a very sweet man, he got it for me. We reminisced about going to book stores, especially comic book stores, in days gone by, and about how whomever wound up holding the books at the end of the visit wound up paying. It took some elaborate machinations and tricky timing to avoid holding the hot potato at the end, all in good fun, of course.

There was one more copy of the same Debbie Bliss book on the shelf, which I am still tempted to purchase as a standby gift or potential trade.

All in all, a good family day today.