My love for Beatrix Potter has been ever expanding since I have had children, and as each child grows I delight rereading the little books out loud. There is something so beautiful and timeless in the stories Potter tells of the personified animals. And while I really enjoyed this essay on Squirrel Nutkin, my life lately has been much like that of Mrs. Tittlemouse in The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse.
Sometimes a beetle lost its way in the passages.
Mrs. Tittlemouse lives in a funny little house “all amongst the roots of the hedge.” When spring really sets in, she starts to find unwelcome visitors of the insect and arachnid varieties in every nook and cranny. She sends the intruding old lady in a “red spotty cloak” back home to her children….