A sister’s arms

Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister.  ~Alice Walker

A special kind of double

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves – a special kind of double.  ~Toni Morrison

At the top of my list

Dear Little Bird.  Dear Little Tiger.

I can’t think of many other things that can compete with the wonderful-ness of little girls.  Giggles over nothing and everything.  Lots of twirling.  Outfit changes all day long.  Hugs and kisses and tickles at any time of the day.  Polished fingers and toes.  It’s lovely.  Just like you.

Finding love in the country

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.  ~Author Unknown

Dear Little Bird.  Dear Little Tiger.

On our way to Hood River last week to pick blueberries and camp under the stars, we stopped at Becca’s house for a visit.  One of the reasons why I love her new place in the “country” so much is that it forces you to go outside and play in the grass.  Her space practically requires you to explore and discover all of the many nooks and crannies behind trees and stumps and dirt piles.  At the end of the day a dusty face and grubby hands are really your only option.  Taking a bath in her big metal wash tub is a relief and something to look forward to.

And the love.  One of my favorite things about being with my dear friend Becca, and hopefully she’ll become your dear friend too, is the love she bestows on you as if you were her very own.  The instruction she gives you, the reprimands, the teaching of chores, the book-reading and the hugs – what Becca gives to you is a gift.

We are heading back to her home again this week.  We’ll have warm weather to enjoy, our tent to sleep in, stars to look at, a visit to the library, berry picking, garden-fresh meals and most of all, love.  Lots of  it.

It’s good to have a sister

Dear Little Bird.  Dear Little Tiger.

One thing I want you to know is this.  Your sister is the only sister you are ever going to have.

Love her.  Be generous with her.  Let her play with your favorite toy sometimes.  Tickler her.  Tell her secrets.  Make sure she is okay when you accidentally jab her in the face with your elbow.  She’s the only friend that will stick by you no matter what.  Even if she doesn’t always like you she will always love you.

It’s precious what you have – each other.

Quietly

Dear Little Bird.  Dear Little Tiger.

Usually when you play you are very noisy.  Singing.  Laughing.  Arguing.  But sometimes all the sound stops.  I won’t notice it at first and then all of a sudden I’ll raise my head from whatever I am doing and realize it’s been too quiet for too long.  I’ll get up and tiptoe over to wherever you are to see what you are doing so very quietly.

And usually you are pouring water on the bathroom floor or eating all the gum from my purse or drawing on something other than paper.

So this morning when I paused from my work and realized the house was silent I got up to go check on the two of you, wondering, what could they possibly be doing now?

Imagine my utter delight when I peeked around the corner to see both of you quietly reading together.  I am marking this as one of my favorite memories.  My two favorite ladies enjoying a peaceful moment together.  Happy reading girls!

Laughter

Dear Little Bird.  Dear Little Tiger.

Most of the time you laugh.

You laugh over books.  You laugh under the table.  You laugh in the church pew.  You laugh as you tip-toe between the library shelves.  You laugh on the swings and in the garden and snuggled up in my bed.  You laugh long.  Often.  Loudly.  Together.

And it sounds to me like a hopeful, delightful duet.

Happy Easter!

Planning to Eat

Dear Little Bird.  Dear Little Tiger.

If it were up to Little Tiger and myself, all we would do is eat good food.  So, that’s why planting seeds was a good idea.  Right?  We’ll grow our OWN good food this year.  And since gardening on the NW Coast is a bit tricky, starting the seeds indoors is how we’ll try to make it work better than last year.

Speaking of last year, remember that?  Six zucchini plants that only produced three zucchini?  So much for that.  And those carrots?  Remember how many carrots we planted and how bitter they were?  Nuts.  Don’t forget the garlic I tried growing.  Instead of a head of garlic, we got one very large, inedible garlic clove per plant.  So weird.

But this year, this year it will be different.  We will take good care of our seeds.  Water them.  Move them twice a day to get the maximum amount of sun.  They’ll spend the morning at the East window and then move to the West window in the afternoon.  We will encourage them to grow with lots of singing and dancing and prodding.  Yes, this year will be better.

And in a few months, we’ll have squash and sweet-tasting carrots and fragrant rosemary and award-winning-pumpkins and hand-picked lettuce and green beans.  And Little Tiger and I will be able to eat our way through our lovely little garden.

Now if only those seeds would start growing!

I Love the Library

You know how much I love to visit the library, right?

Dear Little Bird, Dear Little Tiger,

We visit libraries in new towns instead of museums or shops.  We stop by our library at least twice a week and pretty much know everyone by name.  You know how when dad gives me a break the only place I really want to get away to is the library? Well, I just want to say thanks.

Thanks for loving the library as much as I do.  Thanks for racing to the door every time we arrive.  And cutting in line to give Ms. Paula secret notes while she is checking books out for other people.  Thanks for having your secret spots that you always run to, like the tall plant by the fireplace.  And for asking Mr. Jon to help you on the computer.  And using those slips of paper and tiny pencils to write down your notes.

I love that you love the library.