Yesterday turned out to be a very special and interesting day. This was the day I had set aside to take Tootsie to the Park so she could climb trees, and when I woke up, early, early on this fine morning to feed a very insistent Mr. Squee, what did I find but little Tootsie dressed and completely ready to go, waiting for me on the couch with the Whimsie Traveling Bag so close to her side.

Well! How could I possibly resist that eager expression of anticipation? After all, this was the event Tootsie has been training for, for months and months on end. If ever a Whimsie was ready to climb trees, it was this Whimsie on this day. So, as soon as Mr. Squee’s bowl of Morning Meat was served, I told Tootsie to hold on for just a moment while I put on some proper clothes. She smiled heartily, waited patiently, and in no time at all, we were off.

But speaking of proper clothing, before I really get started on describing our Adventure, let’s take a moment to admire how smartly little Tootsie has dressed herself. As you can see, she’s wearing her old favorite: “dungarees.” (That silly Whimsie! She’s so old-fashioned, I doubt we’ll ever persuade her to call them blue jeans!) And these “dungarees” certainly are huge, allowing Tootsie plenty of room for movement and flexibility as she scurries up and down the branches of trees. But because these pants are so huge, there’s a real possibility they could slip off, and then where would she be? But Tootsie has thought of that, and wisely added a belt. Even though her belt is nothing more than a red and white striped shoelace, she pulls it tightly around her waist, and it gets the job done.

Now, there is actually not much more to talk about regarding her outfit, because the only other item of note is a gray striped tee shirt, which quietly complements her dungarees. Tootsie, it seems, is the kind of tree-climber who does not believe in shoes. She’s been practicing barefoot all this time, so I don’t even have the opportunity to tell you what kind of shoes she finds best for climbing, because the answer is…none!

Of course there is one more item I should mention. Even though we set out for the Tree Climbing Park quite early in the morning, when the sun was just beginning to peek up from beneath the horizon, I felt certain we would still be out there in full daylight, so I persuaded Tootsie to take a hat to protect her delicate complexion. (These redheads do freckle so!) Tootsie agreed to comply, and what kind of hat do you think she chose from the vast collection of Whimsie hats? Why, denim, of course! And doesn’t it just complete her outfit so beautifully?

Some of the time that Tootsie spent in the Park she’s wearing the hat, but a lot of the time she simply isn’t, because to tell you the truth, it was just too difficult for me to keep up with her. At first I stuck very close to her, a bit concerned about her climbing so high up into trees that were many, many times taller than she; I even started out lending her a hand, ready to catch her should she fall. But she exhibited such expertise in her tree-climbing skills that I quickly discovered no assistance was needed. After that, she ran from place to place and from tree to tree, climbing up and down, and then up and down again and again. There was no stopping her!

But after a while, when I finally did manage to get her to stop and take a breath, she took a good look around and had to admit that there was a lot more to the Park than just trees. It was only then that she finally noticed the river, the stone steps, the benches, the bushes, and the flowers.

Not only did Tootsie see the river and the flowers, but she also noticed something else wonderful about trees that she had quite forgotten, since all of her recent training has taken place climbing through low-lying bushes, and not actual trees. With bushes, you don’t get a whole of lot of roots, but with these well-established trees, Tootsie was able to see lots and lots of intricate and interesting root formations, and they totally fascinated her. The roots spoke to her of how very long some of these majestic trees have been alive in this world, and how very permanent a place they have in the Great Outdoors.

As we sat on the bench together for a little while, contemplating the wonders of nature, Tootsie surprised me with the depth of her thoughts and her philosophical observations about the natural world. Of all the Whimsies in Whimsieville, Tootsie is the youngest, and I often think she is like a little sister to the others, and that is in fact how they often treat her. And she doesn’t mind. But who would have ever thought that Little Sister had such a big mind, and such a big heart when it comes to all things Natural and Beautiful?

Tootsie and I hung out in the Park till the sun was fully up, and the Summer day began to feel a bit too hot for comfort. Well, it was too hot for me, but not for Tootsie, who is in such excellent shape from so much training in the bushes back at Whimsieville. But it was, after all, Saturday, always a very busy day in Whimsieville, and with so many more things to do this day, soon it was time to go. As we packed up, Tootsie was disappointed, yet at the same time incredibly happy to have finally had her opportunity to climb the trees, maneuver the tall steps, and contemplate the stillness of the early morning river.

As we drove home in the car, I promised Tootsie that since the weather is now finally begins to cool off with the approach of Autumn, I would be sure to find a way to make time to take her out once again to her beloved Park, so she can climb her beloved trees. And what do you think that silly little Whimsie had to say to that? Well…not too much, actually. She was so tired out, and so contented, that all she could do for the moment was…smile.

It’s me here, Tillie, and if there’s one thing you know about me, it’s that I LOVE books, and I LOVE to read! So it only makes sense that when it came time for my Summer Adventure, I would want to go to the Library. I’ve never been to a Library before, but I’ve seen lots of Libraries in movies and TV, so I had a pretty good idea what it would be like. Now, with my Adventure complete, I have to report that it was everything I’d always hoped it would be! Of all the great big places in the great big world that one could go, when it comes right down to it, nothing is greater or bigger than the Library, with all its many stories and pictures and wild adventures stuffed inside so many books.

But I don’t have time to tell you about all those adventures, only about my own. It begins early this Saturday morning, as I chose the perfect outfit to wear for a visit to the Library. Hmmmmm now…let’s see…a simple shirt with tiny pink flowers, and matching sneakers. (Isn’t it simply wonderful when things work out that way? So serendipitous!) Soft beige pants, because there’s no need to look fancy. This trip is not about looking fancy or making an impression, it’s all about taking in so many impressions! The point here is to be comfortable. But to top it all off, I’ve twisted two of my headbands together in pink and white, to match my shirt and my shoes. Well…okay…I admit. I do care what I look like. And if you ask me, in this outfit, it looks like I’m more than ready for a Saturday Morning Adventure!

So off we go to the Library, Miss Chrissy and me. Mr. Russ doesn’t join us on this trip, because it’s pretty early in the morning, and since it’s the weekend, he’s still sleeping! But I’m glad to be out in the sunshine, and I’m feeling so happy and so brave about going out into the big world that I tell Miss Chrissy I don’t even want to travel in the Whimsie Traveling Bag. No thank you! I’d like to sit in the front seat of the car, and strap in and buckle up, just like a Big Person. Since I’m so tiny, I can’t actually make the entire seatbelt work in my favor, but I do the best I can. If there’s one thing about us Whimsies, we are resourceful, and always manage to do the best we can with what we’ve got.

On the drive to the Library, Miss Chrissy starts singing this song, which begins, “Oh, the place for you, and the place for me, is the Local Public Library!” and it made me giggle, so she told me the name of the song is called (most appropriately) “The Library Song,” and it’s something she remembers from years and years ago when she was a small girl, and there used to be a commercial on Public Television urging everyone to visit their Local Public Library. I would love to hear and see this commercial the way it originally appeared on television so many years ago, but as soon as we got back, I set down to doing some Serious Research on the Internet, and guess what? This commercial is not to be found. Huh! So! I guess the Internet doesn’t know everything, does it?

As I mentioned, it’s not too long of a ride (because a car can go very fast) and now at last we are at the Library, walking through the front doors, and I am totally overwhelmed by the number of books and books and books! There is way too much to look at! Of course I’m not stopping to read every book—oh no! That would be impossible in one visit, or even in one lifetime—but I just want to get a general feel for the place, so Miss Chrissy takes me all around, showing me all the different sections, all the different kinds of things that are available at the Library. Of course there are books, but did you know there are also movies? And music? And comic books? And newspapers and magazines? There’s even a section for Video Games, but it appears that most of those items have already been checked out.

Did I mention Comic Books? Well, they are not actually “Comic Books,” in the traditional sense, but they are called “Graphic Novels,” and have an actual spine rather than just staples, but they tell stories the same way that Comic Books do, panel by panel. I found a bunch of Graphic Novels about Trixie’s beloved Marvel characters, and Miss Chrissy let me use her Library Card to check out this one about the Avengers to take home and share with Trixie. (I also took out a book of Pastry Recipes for Tessie, since she’s been thinking about dabbling in baking, and an Encyclopedia of Trees for Tootsie to peruse at her leisure.)

And what did I get? Well, besides getting to actually go to the Library, I sat down for a short time and read through a very interesting article about Birds, from the Audubon magazine. You can’t take magazines home, but there are plenty of comfortable chairs where you can sit down and have a quick and quiet read from a wide selection of magazines and newspapers. (Oh, and I guess I should also mention that I managed to track down the latest novel in the Bloody Jack series, which is not actually on our library shelves at home. So I added that one to the pile of books heading back to Whimsieville as well. When I read this one, I’ll know more of what happens than Miss Chrissy does! Though I wouldn’t be surprised if she “borrows” my borrowed book and also reads it!)

So it’s been a successful trip so far, seeing everything there is to see, picking up a good number of books to take back with us, and even stopping for a brief reprise with the latest from the Audubon Society. In a place this large and varied and packed with so much good stuff and information, who can sit still for very long? Once again I felt compelled to jump up and run all around, scurrying up and down the aisles and aisles of books, taking in as much Library Atmosphere as I possibly could. In fact, I ran around so much that eventually I simply wore myself out and had to sit down and catch my breath.

At this point, Miss Chrissy could tell that I was overwhelming myself, so finally she said it was time to check out our books and head home. At first, I resisted, and started running up and down the aisles again, and even went so far as to try to hide from Miss Chrissy in the stacks of books, but I soon realized that wasn’t actually accomplishing anything productive, and if Miss Chrissy got annoyed with me, she probably wouldn’t want to bring me back to the Library again, so I decided to come out and cooperate and reluctantly agree that it was time to go back home. Turns out Miss Chrissy was not actually annoyed with me at all, since she totally understood how exciting this outing was for me. It’s just that she was carrying so many books that her arms were getting tired! (Tootsie’s Encyclopedia of Trees is an enormous book! And I lost track of how many books Miss Chrissy took out for herself.)

We went up to the front desk to check out, and the Libarian had read about Whimsies, but had never met one before, and likewise, I had never met a Librarian before, so it turns out we had a lot to talk about. Miss Chrissy didn’t mind our spirited conversation, but some of the other people in line started to get a bit antsy, wanting to check out their huge stacks of books as well, so finally we had to go, but I promised the Librarian I would be back some day. Then I looked at Miss Chrissy hopefully, and she smiled and nodded.

Yea!! 🙂

So that’s my Saturday Morning Library Adventure. Miss Chrissy and I returned to the car and there were so many books in the Traveling Bag that we had to put it in the back seat, it simply wouldn’t fit in the front! And besides, the front seat was not available. It was being used by one very brave and happy Whimsie, heading back home, exhausted but delighted, and ready to share all her checked-out her books and wonderful experiences with her friends.