Who Knew?

There have been many surprising things to this blogging project. The sheer level of commitment is one. The challenge of chasing an elusive muse is another. One aspect that leaves me feeling wistful and a bit sad is finding heartfelt inscriptions inside books I pick up at the thrift store for a dime or a quarter. One unexpectedly sweet benefit is discovering older books with a musty aroma that reminds me of my grandparents’ home in the humid South. Reconnecting with books that have profound meaning for me or bring nostalgia to me has been more fulfilling than I could have predicted. But I think the most interesting thing is Scarlett’s lukewarm reception to some of my treasured classics and decided preference for other books I’ve never even heard of. I guess that makes sense, since a toddler only knows what they like and not what receives critical acclaim or ends up on every well-stocked bookshelf. In that respect, Scarlett is very toddler. She is beginning to assert herself more forcefully in all areas of her life, especially in what she wears and has read to her. The other day the only clothes she would consider wearing were Spiderman pajama pants and a too-small onesie that couldn’t even snap. And when we chose a book to read, she insisted on Mittie Cuetara’s Terrible Teresa and Other Very Short Stories. That’s no lie--each story is only four lines long. But Scarlett was mesmerized and that was the point of this, right?

http://www.amazon.com/Terrible-Teresa-Other-Short-Stories/dp/0525457682


http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1357/Cuetara-Mittie-1957.html