Archive for October, 2009
Ever since I moved to a picturesque spot in the Michigan wilderness, I’ve been captivated by the local wildlife. During the course of my attempts to lure birds to my backyard feeders, I’ve also attracted some less desirable critters. At night raccoons and opossums feast on the sunflower seeds that have been knocked down to the deck below. Throughout the day, squirrels launch an aerial attack on the feeders from overhanging tree limbs.
Even though I’m engaged in mortal combat with those pesky squirrels on a regular basis, there’s no denying how cute and cuddly they appear. My youngest son is 3 years old, and for his birthday this year we bought him a Hansa plush squirrel that looks just like the rodents that bombard our backyard feeders. The stuffed twitter is holding a plush nut, though, not a sunflower seed.
My daughter just turned 5 years old, and now that she’s in kindergarten we decided to hold a party. She invited all of her friends from school and a few from daycare. My husband and I decided to make it a bring-your-own-stuffed-animal party, knowing that it’s hard for some kids to leave their parents at that age. It turns out that the comfort of a familiar stuffed animal can ease that transition.
When the guests began to arrive, I was somewhat surprised at the diversity and craftsmanship of some of the stuffed animals. The well-worn bears you might expect to see were all there, of course, but some of the kids brought more exotic species. I know a little girl from my daughter’s class brought her prized teddy bear monkey, and I counted at least two penguins. Sure enough, the party was a great success. The kids were so busy discussing and playing with their plush toys to even think about feeling homesick.