Not Yo Mama's Little Golden Books

The Baby's little pointer finger, her "What's that?" finger- always extended while out on a walk.

Yesterday the weather was a glorious, balmy 50 degrees. I dressed The Baby in her little leather shoes and brought her out of the cave to test her walking skills on city sidewalks. We had been reading a collection of Eloise Wilkin's Golden Books stories before bedtime. And, I thought our first real walk would resemble something from the "What Does Baby See?" series- where a baby in a bonnet experiences sweet and tender bits of nature (crocuses blooming, fat robins hopping on spring green lawns) as he explores his world. The Baby of my world was sweet, for sure- toddling beside me, holding my hand, eyes wide with wonder, little pointer finger extended accompanied by the lovely chiming of "What's that?" (which really comes out as, "S'at? S'at?) But, we are in the transition between winter and spring-our Brown phase. The place where the leaves we neglected to collect before Thanksgiving sit soaking and rotten on our lawns; where there is more mud than grass; and, where the robins have not yet returned, but the vultures are out picking at dead things in the street.

In Little Golden Books, baby might see a fluffy chickadee light on a cherry blossom branch above her.

  What did The Baby see on our walk?

  

In Eloise Wilkin's darling illustrations, baby might tumble upon a  blanket of grass, feeling the soft blades between his bare toes. 

On our walk, what did The Baby feel?

In  Little Golden Books, baby might hear the croaking of a frog or the chirping of a cricket. 

What did The Baby hear while walking on the streets of Buffalo?

In the charming world of Eloise Wilkin's baby, the scent of honeysuckle and lavender permeates the air. 

 What did The Baby smell while on our walk?

I exaggerate (although we have, in years past, had the county police helicopter circle our hood for fugitives). Our outing wasn't that far off from a scene from Little Golden Books. We had sunshine. And, I had a charming, willing companion- who opened my eyes to all of the teaching I have yet to do. I forget that the United States Postal Service's blue mail boxes, fire hydrants, stop signs, lamp posts, pine cones, leaves; the sounds of: buses, car horns, sticks beneath our feet- are all new and exciting to her. We'll have the scent of lilac and lavender soon.