Well, it's Halloween, a holiday that we do not celebrate.  No dressing up, no trick or treating.  If you would like to know why we feel this way about Halloween, please visit Halloween: A Dark Holiday.  Anyways, as other children are anticipating adorning their costumes and getting candy from neighbors, my youngest son is contemplating where "Pine Cone" will sleep tonight!

 

"Pine Cone" is just that, a pine cone.  He's small, unopened, and has some moss or something growing on him.  He was supposed to have been the kindling for last night's fire in the fireplace.  But, no, RR just would not stand for it.  How dare we burn him!  So, he adopted the little thing.  And granted, it is a cute pine cone...but...IT'S A PINE CONE!  However, in RR's opinion of things...it's his baby or friend (we're not sure yet).  Last night he took it everywhere he went, made it a spot on the couch to sit, talked to it...and dare I say...insisted on trying to sleep with it!  We had to convince him that it was not a safe idea for him or Pine Cone for them to share his bed...Pine Cone MUST sleep somewhere else.  So...I put him on the book shelf.  I thought that was close enough to the bed that RR would be Ok with it, but...he told me today that Pine Cone needs a bed.

 

Since RR is only 4, we do humor him from time to time about things... including "Pine Cone".  And because we want him to have compassion, I suppose that we should indulge his sympathy for the pine cone that saved it from the fire last night.  However...where do you put a pine cone to bed at?  I've never really contemplated the matter.  And have no idea what is going to happen when he tries to put it at the table tonight at dinner time (he's put it with him at every other meal today). 

 

And, I've heard of pet rocks, and imaginary friends.  But, has anyone ever heard of a child having a pet pine cone?  I haven't.  I suppose that we could or should use this friendship in an educational manner.  Now might possibly be the right time to teach him how a pine cone fits into God's grand design for the world.  After all...a pine cone contains the seeds to grow more pine trees.