Chasing the Scootie Toot: Mrs. Worm

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Mrs. Worm

Lucy and I have been digging for worms in the garden. Really, it is a tactic to get her to help me pull rocks out of the garden while I turn the soil for planting. She quickly tired of getting the rocks for me, but WORMS. My God, the WORMS! Lucy spent 20 minutes running back and forth from the garden to the gate playing TAG with her WORM. I heard her yelling "Tagerit! Tagerit!" over and over and couldn't figure it out. So I asked her what she was doing and lo and behold, "I'm playing tag with my worm Mama! Tag your're it!" And then "Want to play hide and seek with me, worm?" Something tells me the worm doesn't stand a fighting chance in this scenario.

I tried to tell her that worms like to cool, dark dirt and they are happier in the ground, but she just said "My worm likes me, Mama." And then "Oh, she really loves me!" Yes, "she" - they are all girl worms. I love listening to her worm conversations. "I'm Mrs. Worm and these are my baby worms. You want a snack, baby worm? Time for your nap!"

When I noticed a worm looking limp and defeated, I'd tell her it was time to find a new one. So she'd tuck the worm into its little dirt bed with a "I'm can not gonna kill the worm," and start over with a new one. Though in retrospect that was a little more cruel than kind; like spreading the torture around I guess. She was literally loving them to death.

As I continued turning the garden, Kevin was out pushing Malcolm in the swing. I was sort of tuning things out and just trying to get the dirty work done so I could plant my garden, but I heard "Look at my worm Malcolm! Oh, worm, I LOVE you!"

Kevin (loudly): WHOA! Is worm kissing allowed??
Me: Only blown kisses! (We'd covered worm kissing protocol the day before)
Kevin: That's what I thought. Yeah, there was some actual lip contact going on!
Lucy (looking pucker-faced and disgusted): I need to wash my mouth.

That's my girl.