Worm Patrol

Dear John,

 

I got up at 6 to let the dog out, which was bad enough on a Saturday morning, but then I saw white stuff scattered all over the back yard. My first thought was cottonwoods, but there aren't any close around. Then I realized it was snow. It's April 20th. You can imagine my excitement. It never got out of the 30s today.

 

I forgot to tell you yesterday: I went on Worm Patrol twice. When I went out to the garage to leave for work, I saw bunches of earthworms that had come up to the driveway in the rain, and were starting to dry up. Some had died already. So I went out on patrol, and picked up about two dozen and put them in the grass where they'll be safe. When I got to Kathy's for work, she had the same thing. So I picked up another dozen or so. I can't bear to leave them there to die.

 

I'm glad you understood that about me. It's not just every man that would help his wife save earthworms. You even understood that night when we had that terrible storm, and the window well filled up with water, and the basement was flooded, and I left you with it and took off running up the stairs yelling, "My toads!" I'd been watching that family of toads that lived in the window well for a couple of years and had gotten quite attached to them. You didn't protest when I went out in a torrential downpour and constant lightning in my bathrobe, and fished the toads out. Poor little things - they were frantically trying to cling to the screen on the window, and kept falling back into the water. We didn't lose any that night - I got there in time.

 

And you didn't laugh at me. You always treated me with respect, even when you didn't understand me. But saving animals was something you always understood. You respected them, too. It was something I loved about you. But, now that I think about it, I love everything about you, don't I? That's what happens when you're married to the world's only perfect man.

 

That's really all that's up tonight - I wanted to tell you that the earthworms are safe. And it didn't rain today, so all the high water is starting to recede. We may not need that ark after all - just snowmobiles. The picture is just for giggles - I pinned it, and knew you'd get a good laugh out of it. I always loved being able to talk geek with you!

 

Love you more than all the animals in the world put together,

Joan.