Saturday Synopsis

I am an immigrant to the United States. My parents read me stories in German. Many books that American children meet came across my conscious only as an adult. Peter Rabbit is one of those. I cozied up to Beatrix and felt that one day I would enjoy introducing her to one of my grandchildren.

 I purchased a pop-up replica of her journal years ago. Last night my granddaughter convinced her brother to watch Miss Potter with us. I was a little surprised how patient and interested they were with the story of her life. That led to reading Peter's tale. Why do children love that he is naughty? 

After the stories I showed Grace the journal. She asked me to read the text. She wouldn't even let me skip the dates on the headings of each journal entry. 1886 seems so ancient, yet my grandmother was born then.

 

    My favorite page is where her locket is found. Her picture is set next to Norman Warne. The grief she felt seemed to give her the extra courage move out on her own and buy the farms in the Lake Country. The people honor her for gifting her substantial land to the British land trust upon her death. 

   Whenever I swish a brush through water, watching the paint glide over the surface, I think of Beatrix painting the world inside her head and merging it with the world she loved around her.