ladybug.... s.

it's spring here in my lovely city. the signs are everywhere. *I'm choosing to completely ignore the snowfall that lasted the entire day yesterday. it was probably just a foggy winter memory.... I was probably subconsciously missing winter.... and imagined the whole thing. in fact, I'm quite sure that's what happened.* anyway.... today, at work, I was on "supervision" for recess.... twice. fridays are the only day I'm on in both the morning and the afternoon, and when it was bitterly cold, I dreaded that duty. but, as I said, spring is taking the city by storm. and today, the ladybugs showed me that. and when I say ladybugs I mean ladybugs with a capitol S. I have never seen so many! it's exciting. and the kids.... well, you would have thought that they were finding diamonds in the leaves.... and they treasured them (in their own smothering sort of way) as those each ladybug had a little heart inside that was filled with feelings... this morning, one little boy had his hands cupped, with a little ladybug crawling around inside.... I asked if it had a name... and he said, "yeah, I named him Rosie." while all the other kids were collecting as many as they could and continually searching for more, he was content to love this one. he spent the whole time walking around with it, petting it like it was a kitten. talking in the little i-love-you sort of voice. you know the kind I mean. we set them free (even if they were mildly scarred) when we went inside and I told the kids we could find them again during the next recess. so, later, when we went back out, this same boy asked me, "Mrs. Cochrane..... can you help my find the baby ladybug...?" I said, "oh, the one you had this morning... Rosie?" "yea.." he said. I said I would.... so we begin rummaging through the leaves left from last fall, along with all the other children. I found my very first ladybug this spring.... (and it didn't take long) and asked him if this was "the one". he said, "oh! yeah!" and I give it to him, and he says, "hello Rosie! I missed you!" and presumed his playground stroll with his dear pet Rosie.... the man ladybug.