>A Snail Tale
>Nashville now has a rainy season.
At least, that’s what it seems like after enduring the last two straight weeks of daily rain and thunderstorms. It has turned what should have been the last few decent weather weeks of spring into a soggy, mucky, humid mess. And it’s really starting to get me down.
I have taken Punky and Bruiser outside in snow and in scorching heat. But mud and muck? Well, I’ve done it, but I don’t plan on doing it again if I can avoid it. Therefore we haven’t done much of anything this past week, and it’s B-O-R-I-N-G around here.
At least for me.
Punky, otherwise known as The Ingenious One, seems to be perfectly happy. She spends most of her time prancing in her Crocs through our soggy, overgrown backyard. Why, you ask?
She has opened a Snail Motel.
Seriously.
A Snail Motel.
You can imagine with all the rain, we have more than our share of snails outside. Punky quickly decided that all those snails needed a helping hand. First she observed the snails in their natural habitat and determined they liked stones and lots of water. She also determined they ate leaves.
Based on these observations, she set up snail hotel beds on our deck (flat rocks), collected her guests one by one with her small plastic spade (otherwise known as a “shubble”), and gave them leaves to eat and plenty of water to drink.
But this was no Snail Motel Six. It included luxury service. Punky provided babysitting services for the smaller snails, until their mommies could come and get them. And when it rained, she covered them in leaves to keep them warm.
This has been going on for hours and hours every day. She has even decided that when she grows up, she is going to take care of snails.
I couldn’t be any prouder.
Some moms like to imagine that their children will be president, or a doctor or lawyer or nuclear physicist.
I dream of my daughter caring for snails with all the tender devotion of Mother Teresa.
Admit it. You’re jealous.
Who wouldn’t be?
This post originally appeared on Parents.com.
