The Right Kind of Mail

An illustrated card arrived in the mail from my 8-year-old niece Rose in Atlanta. She's a pretty good artist...don't you think? She's captured some distinct characteristics of everyone depicted, and I love how she and her parents are welcoming Monte and me...such an exciting moment that even the dogs and fishes are wondering "what's going on?"

Rose is my little pen pal and connection to a beautiful childhood world. She gives special symbols and animal names to her friends, and she loves to draw and read, and she is planning to write a chapter book of her own when she is older...actually, it will be a whole series of chapter books. She has a dog named Luna and a doll named Elizabeth and hermit crabs whose names I do not know. I sent her some pictures while I was in Berlin last year and she told me that someday she wants to see the Brandenburg Gate and walk on cobblestone streets wearing high-heeled shoes.

So today was Groundhog Day, Candlemas Day, and my Arrival-in-California Day. (Check on that link for an informative and fascinating discussion about Groundhog Day from my friend and former colleague Marc Kummel, also known as Treebeard; it's worth a read.)

And I wanted to share something happy.