Mud

Finally, after many days of rain, we had a dry and warm afternoon! A perfect day for an impromptu stroll at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. Two duck mates gave us a friendly, if nonchalant, welcome and demonstrated diving for their dinner. Emily was impressed. She also enjoyed inspecting the dandelions which were in full bloom.

Watching her toddle along continues to be a joy. It wasn't long ago that she was just leaning to stand!

She loved exploring and feeling the grass under her feet. I had to smile to see all the mud she got on her. Another first!

When she reached the top of a hill, she decided that she did NOT need my help. First, she turned herself around to slide down it. Then she crawled down. Then she was determined to fall  walk down by herself. Considering said hill ended at the lake, this called for a fine balancing act of restraint and reflexes on my part. Especially when she also wanted to crawl along the edge of the lake. "Oh, look at the time!" I said at this point. "Time to go home." Mud is one thing. Taking a dunk in pond scum is quite another!

As I was driving home, the memory of the mud made me smile again and think of a favorite picture book. I'll have to find it at the library to share with Emily.

Mud by Mary Lyn Ray; Illustrated by Lauren Stringer.
Here's the summary on the book jacket. "As winter melts into spring, the frozen earth turns into magnificent mud." I remember the book really capturing the joy of waking up from a long cold winter and diving into spring. Ray writes about mud, "Stir it. Stick it. Dig it. Dance it." We got a first taste today. I can't wait to do more!