I LOVE little kids!!!

I just the answered doorbell to three little girls I'd never seen before that couldn't be more than 4 or 5. They were adorable! Long curly hair, in cute cotton summer dresses, and absolutely covered in dirt and bits of grass and twigs. The leader of the group stepped forward and asked, in a sad little voice,

"Can you get the pokey out of my hair?" She turned around and pointed to a matted knot of curly brown hair and burrs balled up on top of her head. It looked like the trio had taken a dive into a briar patch with Brer Rabbit.

As I worked to help her out, the other little girls told me all about the poor, dead skunk they found by the side of the road (quite recently from the looks of them) without any eyes- "just holes where he was supposed to have eyes!"- but that they assured me had gone to heaven. Phew!

After several minutes I broke the news that they should probably go find their mommies because I couldn't get it out. (AKA, didn't have a prayer!)

"Ok!" they chimed in unison. And tromped down the stairs calling goodbyes and recalling the whole skunk experience once again.

I shut the door and giggled, remembering the days when I was their age and used to go door-to-door giving hand-written love notes to perfect strangers. Ahh, to be young and completely unintimidated!