Makers

My daughter's been busy today. She just now finished sewing together two pieces of purple fabric she had found at the High Desert Museum; it's a blankey for her snow leopard. Earlier today she decorated my room for a snow leopard party. (I bribed her brother to attend.) And before that – this morning – she made these little purses with paper and electrical tape. They're a kind of Advent Calendar; each person in the family gets two, and every day, she says, someone will get a surprise in theirs!

She's like this every day; she has been like this every day for at least two years now. She draws, she colors, she makes gifts for people and for stuffed animals. She designs games for us all to play. She made paper dolls -- except they were dinosaurs: one of every kind plus a tree and a volcano and a little carrying bag for them all. (One of my co-workers bought it for $1.) At my mom's house the other day she made intricate designs from colored ribbons, these amazing little bits of engineering.

My son used to be busy like that, too. And now he's not. He's just not. He doesn't invent things the way he used to.

It must be a phase, this uber creativity.

Growing up is so sad!