My Nature Girl!

Most of friends do not know that I was once part of a club called "Nature Girls". Why we called it that I don't know because my cousin Fred (clearly not a girl) was also in the club - it doesn't seem fair. I must call and apologize - poor Fred! As you might be able to guess this club was formed many years ago and no longer exists today. It was fun while it lasted though. My sister, cousins and I would hide from cars (they were unnatural), we'd build forts in the woods, give ditches beautiful names such as "Walking Waters", and the ultimate nature girl right of passage - go pee in the woods.

My daughter seems to be carrying some of the nature girl genes. I am often inspired by her creativity and her delight with nature. I think she often switches into a right brain mode and will come back into consciousness only to realize that she has smeared mud all the way up her arms. She's quite a little dreamer.

She amazed me with her little dragonfly picture. The wings are made from maple seeds, the body is a twig and the head is a little tuft of moss. I was blown away and had to frame it!

Ok, this is really not a good photo, but this is her first ever oil painting. She brought this for show and tell and had a crowd of moms around her saying, "Your kidding me right?"

On her ninth birthday she wanted to have a tree planting birthday party. I have to say it was such a great day. All her friends came and some brought their parents and siblings to help. Collectively we planted one hundred seedlings to reforest an area where a wind storm had blown down a good portion of the forest. It felt much more like a community event than a little girls birthday. Afterwards we barbecued hotdogs and drank hot chocolate, and everyone took home a packet of forget-me-not seeds (her favorite flower), and a green dog tag necklace that had the words "I helped make the world a little greener", and a few other goodies in a brown paper sack with a peace sign and a daisy painted on it. She is through and through a nature girl and always her own person - and for that I am very proud!