Speaking of Mothers

Each family has its own lore, usually involving embarrassing incidents with various family members.  The butt  of each story is endlessly regaled with 'I remember when you...' and hilarious laughter.  Just ask my brother Mike about Mrs. Tudley.

Evidently when I was about Sophia's age, my family (at that point just my parents, older sister and me) went on a camping trip to Hanging Rock in western North Carolina.  I was of an age to enjoy exploring and grubbing around in the dirt.  According to my family members, I took a liking to pebbles and ingesting them.  I still get 'And you ate rocks!! What was wrong with you?!,' even from my siblings that weren't even a twinkle in my mother's eye.

And now this blog will make immemorial Sophia's equally dubious behavior.  

This morning Kathleen, Sophia, and I decided to go outside and do some gardening.  Our house has a large, lovely yard that is full of weeds in between all of the lovely plants.  Kathleen was happy to go outside and play on our swing set.  Sophia initially tried to follow her sister, but crawling just isn't nearly as fast as walking, and Sophia would get halfway to the swing about the time Kathleen decided to come running back to me.  

Worried that the neighbors would call CPS because of Sophia's screaming, I set her next to me in the dirt where she was happy as a clam.  She found a spade and chewed on it for awhile, then enjoyed the feeling of damp dirt through her fingers.  And finally she showed her parentage: after finding a nice-sized stone she sat in the dirt with filth covering her face and tried to eat it.