In the last week, our two 9-month-old beagles, George (for Curious George) and Stuart (for Stuart Little), have brought home two turkey claws, a bushy squirrel tail, and a dead rabbit.  I don’t think they have the speed or tenacity to catch these animals.  They’re simply picking up winter detritus and having a little fun at the same time.

On Thursday afternoon, Liliana was making mud soup out our front door.  I heard her call for me, and when I opened the sliding glass door and peeked my head out, she was standing there, waving a significant portion of a deer spine about (complete with an array of broken ribs attached).

“Mom!” she said.  “The dogs are chewing on this.  It’s gross!”

That’s when I had to explain how dead things are reused.  Animals die and return to the earth.  Other, bigger animals eat smaller animals.  It’s the circle of life.  Remember Lion King?  Nope, she didn’t remember that part.

She stared at me a moment, then threw the spine down on the ground.  Immediately, George scooped it up, and Stuart trailed after him, trying to wrest it from his mouth.

Liliana humphed, squatted, and went back to stirring her soup.

That’s my girl.

This morning, as we were snuggling in bed, she asked if we might all go down the hill today and see the stream rushing past.  And she wants to show Dad the “snake holes” we found the other day.  [They’re holes.  Probably old gopher or mole holes.  But she’s concocted such fabulous stories about snakes coming out of them!]

I love that she’s an explorer, and I hope she retains this part of her forever.

*   *    *

Thanks to all of you who came out to my book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Rochester yesterday afternoon.  It was lovely to meet all of you…and to be able to tell you how Eve came about!

And a big thank you to Renae, B&N’s Community Manager, and my publicist Sharon for setting it all up!

Enjoy this lovely Sunday, dear readers (and shall I say, continuing supporters?)!

[Post image: Deer Spine from SpiderPic]