Sally

Last week at Hailey's soccer practice, Evan asked me if he could go off into the woods with some of the boys and play.  The woods is a pretty standard part of soccer.  The boys build forts, have wars with sticks and usually head to the car with some sort of souvenir they find - usually in the form of a giant stick they can't live without. 

 

During the practice one of the boys came running back and showed us what he found.  Two salamanders.  I said a silent prayer that Evan hadn't seen them because I knew he would be all about finding some salamanders to keep as pets.   It seemed my prayers were answered because Evan stayed in the woods until it was time to head home and even then I saw him dragging a stick out of the woods that was destined for our house.  When I say stick I actually mean the trunk of a small fallen tree.  Go big or go home.

 

When you are talking to mom friends on the way out of soccer you tend not to notice things going on around you.   So it wasn't until we got into the car and were about half way home when Evan asked me, "What do salamanders eat?".  My head immediately jerked around to the back seat where I could see him sitting there looking guilty with his hands cupped around something and I asked him though I already knew the answer "Why, Evan?"

 

That is how we came to acquire Sally.  When we got home Evan put her into his old fish tank.  Filled it with grass, rocks and water and started off in search of some bugs for his new little friend. 

 

We kept Sally in the garage for a couple days and then on the third day after school I told Evan that I thought we should let Sally free in the woods in the back yard.   He told me that he had been thinking the same thing.  We found a nice hollowed out log and some damp leaves and Sally scurried away to find some new salamander friends.  The end.  At least until the next soccer game.