Addendum: This photo appeared in the local paper this morning. While you can't really tell by looking this is Erin, Nico, and Company singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious at the Bryan Honor Choir concert last night. I'll bet you didn't know that song had hand jive that is "must do" when singing it. Don't you wish you got to have as much fun as these children?
I don't really have much to post, but when Erin jumped in the car after school and announced that her classmates called her The Worm Whisperer, I knew I needed to borrow that catchy title. In science, the class is raising moths from caterpillars. Each student was issued a tiny little "worm." Erin named hers Indy, after Indiana Jones. They have grown prodigiously, and Indy is now three centimeters. Most of the other children don't have much affection for their caterpillars, but Erin takes hers out and lets it crawl around on her hand. She told me she had the most beautiful caterpillar in the class--tiny red spots and the lightest coloring of any of them. She has taken to exercising her classmates "worms" for them. She is convinced that they like her, especially Indy, "who really seems to appreciate the attention." Have you stopped laughing yet? Can you tell why we let her buy Teddy? It was that or a room full of less tame critters, waiting for Erin's love.
On the Teddy front, things have continued to go better than we expected. I keep expecting someone in the household to break her, since she only weighs 9.9 pounds. So far, she has good instinct about staying out from under foot and paw. Davis is headed home for a late semester break on Wednesday, and I doubt he is inclined to love Teddy. She does have an interesting flaw(?) that I think developed from her spending so much time at the animal shelter before finding her way to our house. Like any lapdog worth her salt, she can curl herself into a tight, little ball. Unfortunately, it's tough to get uncurled. She runs shaped like the letter "C" and we have taken to calling her sidewinder in those moments when she hasn't straightened out. Hopefully, Erin can help her with some stretches and strengthening (this sounds like a repeating theme at the Buenger household), to straighten out her spine. On second thought, maybe Teddy is just so in sync with Erin that she has invented a back problem out of sympathy.
Teddy has also proved quite helpful with gardening. No matter how long it takes, she is willing to sit in the shade by the person weeding, giving them emotional support. While I am still woefully behind in getting all the beds cleaned, I have taken inspiration to soldier on.
I did want to take time to post this cute pic of Erin and my delightful niece Emma, who brought her mother down for a visit this weekend. The visit, as always, was much too short, but as luck would have it, they will return in a couple of week's for my mother's Nasty Maturalist (Master Naturalist) spring party here at the lake (which explains my diabolical focus on getting the yard into shape).
I have to fly now. Erin has her Honor Choir concert in about thirty minutes and if I don't leave right now, I will not get a good seat.
There are plenty of worse things to be in the world than a "worm whisperer". It just goes to show that all living creatures, including insects, can respond to affection. Teddy is a pretty lucky dog to have Erin!
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