Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The Eeyore House


Did you ever read A.A. Milne as a child? The House at Pooh Corner stands for me as one of the most children's literature-ish stories of children's literature.

In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Visiting, and Build Eeyore a House of Sticks for his Birthday, Since His Other House Disappeared.

In Which Pooh and Piglet Arrive at Some Dispute Over the Name for Eeyore's House. Pooh Decides to Name it "The House at Pooh Corner", while Piglet Prefers the Name "The House at Piglet and Pooh Corner." And Nobody Thinks to Name it The Eeyore House.

In Which the Sticks for Eeyore's New House Came from a Pile of Sticks that Turns out to Have Been Eeyore's Missing Old House. But Everyone Has a Wonderful Day (Except Eeyore, Who is Never Happy Anyway) and Everyone Ends Up Still Friends.


Two years ago, when we arrived at the scenic backyard paradise of my parents' Ohio home, Miss Boo began piling sticks and brush against a tall oak. The sticks thus became a little outdoor room for her imagination, and somehow acquired the name of "The Eeyore House."

Because it reminded me of Piglet and Pooh and their stick house, and because I always felt they should have named the house after Eeyore, not after themselves.


That pile of sticks remained against the tree until our departure, when we all worked together to carefully carry each one back to its place on the stick pile along the bank of the creek at back edge of the property.

Last year, when we arrived, she knew just what to do, and she recruited Rooster and their Papa to help her. The stick pile was extra full of lovely long limbs, as my parents had lost an old cottonwood over the winter. And the resulting Eeyore House stood taller and sturdier than before.



Again at the end of our visit, we all gathered the sticks and returned them to the pile, with loving promises to return once more.

And Monday morning, that promise was fulfilled. This year the Captain was here for the Building Event, and he added his building expertise to the mix. Gramma also made some structural suggestions. Now we have an additional foundation underneath the sticks, to make more room for four growing grandkids to play together.


Next year's Eeyore House will need another annex to accommodate two 2 year old cousins who will be ready to join the party. I wonder what their imaginations will come up with next time?

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