G.I. Belle

It used to be that every morning when the girls awoke they would come in to my room to say good morning. Well, things are slowly changing in this routine, and it has become the norm that when the girls do get up, 75% of the time they plop on the couch and pick up a book to read. Only when I am done showering and getting ready do I even know that they are up. (My suspicion is that they are trying to keep really quiet so I won't send them for their breakfast, which is one step closer to starting their school work!)

So this morning, when I was drying my hair and noticed Belle's little body plopped across my bed with her nose in a book, I wasn't too surprised. Then she said, "Mom, did you know that you can set up a string...and if the bunny nibbles on it, a rock will fall on it and kill it?". She has been reading Thorton Burgess' "The Burgess Animal Book for Children", and I know that Mr. Burgess' strength is his ability to convey a lot of information about the animal kingdom through fun stories about Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox, Jumper the Hare, and Mother Nature, among many others. I thought this was a little dark for Mr. Burgess, but I just said a hesitating, "Uh huh" as I finished applying my mascara.

Next, my eight-year-old animal lover started matter-of-factly rattling off a whole list of ways in which one could trap, kill or incapacitate small woodland creatures. Yes, it was time for me to come around the corner and investigate. This is what I found:



She had found her Dad's Survival Guide from his time in the military. Both her father and her grandfather will be very proud to read this post. :)