Stasia at the top

An overnight monsoon abated by around noon, and though it stayed cloudy and cool, Stasia and I eventually went outside to dry off the swings and slide, run into a wet but still inviting leaf pile, trek down the long driveway to retrieve the mail and the paper, and gather kindling for the woodstove. Unlike in past visits, she decided against going for a walk, opting instead to try a little climbing. The intrepid child arrived bearing a sign of a recent fall—witness the "Hello Kitty" bandage on her forehead—and she quickly decided that you can't keep a gutsy kid down. Stasia required a boost to get up to the first rung of the playground ladder, but after that, she climbed the rest of them with ease. She's about six feet off the ground here and showing no sign whatsoever of fear. Quite the opposite: she's contemplating how to get to the cross rungs. Maybe we should stock up on bandages.