Naturalist Edition

 Messiah loves animals, trees, flowers, bugs, and all things sun and moon.  He talks non-stop every day in the car, a running monologue really, peppered with questions, most of which begin with, "What happens if..."  Today the sunrise was an absolute, blinding fireball to our east as we headed north, and he asked me if birds liked the sunrise.  I told him I imagined they did, as it meant the beginning of their day and their quest for worms.  From there we talked about nocturnal animals and how they were safely asleep at sunrise, and which ones probably went to sleep first.  Messiah is familiar with raccoons and bats, but he said he had never heard of opossums.  He wanted to know all about them, and when I told him they were great because they ate ticks, he then needed to know all about ticks.  We then discussed how bats ate millions of mosquitoes, and how we loved them for that.  He asked if opossums ate mosquitoes, too, and I said I didn't know but would try to find out.  Then came the "what if..."

Messiah:  Gaga, do bats and opossums get along?

Gaga:  No clue, but I imagine so, because they would have no reason not to.  Neither is a predator that would pursue the other.

M:  But what if they both went after the same mosquito, then would they fight?

G:  Doubtful, Messiah, because there are so many mosquitoes, that even if they both wanted to eat one right now, they could choose among hundreds of them. 

M: But what if there was only ONE mosquito?
G:  Not likely, Messiah, for there to be just one available mosquito in the area in the summer.

M:  But what if there was only one, and they both saw them at the same time???  THEN would they fight with chudders?

G:  Jeez, Messiah, I don't know.  I can't imagine a bat fighting with a possum.  But I can't honestly say I know.

Later, at the bus stop, he found a little round berry/seed of some kind.  Almost looks like an immature acorn.  He brought it to me so I could see it.  I looked at his dear little hand, offering me this treasure to inspect, and made the appropriate exclamations about how cool it was and what a great find.  He sort of gestured toward me with his outstretched arm and open hand, and said, "Gaga.  Please take this with you and show it to your co-workers."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I was working from home today.  I told him I would and that they would just love it.