The contest...

A couple of months ago, Greta read about a contest in her American Girl Doll magazine, and enthusiastically started working on her entry. She wrote, and rewrote, her 200 word essay about her connection with nature feverishly, and she snapped hundreds of photos which she narrowed down to the five that were required, with method. I was proud of her persistence, but not surprised. With every draft and downloaded photo, she grew more excited, and I could tell that she was picturing in her head the moment that she won the new doll. She was giddy on the day that we sat down to fill out the online entry form, but when we started to enter the required information we quickly realized we'd failed to read the rules and regulations of the contest. Contestants had to be at least eight years old. She was crushed. Big huge tears of crushed. I considered fibbing her age to relieve her disappointment. But after some commiseration (a phone call to Adam, and Greta's Nana) it was clear that saving her from the sadness and letdown, by telling a lie, was not the life lesson that Greta deserved. So she cried a lot, and I held her (and felt like I was going to cry too), and we ate French Toast with whipped cream for lunch. And with time, it felt a little better.

This would have been Greta's entry if she were 7 months older. I'm pretty sure that she would have won, but then again, I am her Mom.

I’m inspired by nature when it’s spring and summer, and it’s hot, but not too hot; and especially when you see animals like birds, squirrels and deer. I love the trees when they have leaves on them, and the grass when it’s green. I also love all kinds of flowers. My favorites are daisies, sunflowers, roses, tulips, and lady slippers. I also love fall. Sometimes showers of leaves fall down on me with all their fall colors. In the winter we play in the snow, my brother and I. I even like the brown grass, it’s still part of nature. I love the fluffy white clouds in the sky, and the beautiful sunset, it’s sometimes streaked with purple, yellow and blue, maybe even pink. When the sun is setting, sometimes the sky is a dark blue.

I love going on camping trips, we swim in the lake right away. I sometimes see deer, and the owls hoot softly in the treetops at night. We find blueberry bushes and I love to eat the berries. I make chairs out of tree stumps. Sometimes I see bears. When I go swimming I see fish under water. We hear loons hooting out in the water, it feels as if you’re an animal too. I like to see the squirrels scamper up the trees. Although I like it when it’s hot and sunny, I appreciate everything in nature.