Willow Grove Found Treasure

Are you still celebrating the New Year?  The cats and I talked about it and decided we wanted to celebrate each and every day, all year long.  Doesn't that sound like a grand idea?

Today was our first river walk in 2019.  We were the first ones into the park, in fact, the Park Host hadn't even unlocked the gates yet when we pulled up.  I guess you know that means we were the first ones to put our pawprints in the sand too.  That's always an amazing feeling.

 It was still dark when we hit the beach but Mom had her flashlight and we wanted to have enough time to walk as far as possible.  I'm not real clear about exactly why a flashlight is important but I'm starting to get the idea that Mom might not see as good in the dark as I do.

So there we were, just making our way down the beach when... we saw it... a treasure chest that had washed ashore.  The chest was covered in mirrors and we took a minute or two, considering whether we should try to open it or not.  What might be inside?  My mind began to race with ideas both magical and horrifying.

 It was stuck together pretty well,  with sand lodged into places it didn't belong all along the lid, but eventually Mom was able to pry it open.  We looked inside and it was filled with murky water.  Mom tipped it sideways to let the water run out and then declared that it was empty. Empty?  I could hardly believe my ears.  The treasure chest was filled as full as it possibly could be with hopes and dreams and prayers.  How could she not see?  Someone had trusted this chest with their most important treasures and I could only imagine who that "someone" might be.  I pondered several possibilities but I think the only logical explanation is that it belonged to a little girl pirate.  She had to pretend she was mean and cranky during the day, in front of her men but deep inside she was sweet and loving.  She used the chest to hold the mean, cranky side at night and the sweet and loving side during the day.  It was quite a secret to keep from her crew but of course, completely necessary.  Unfortunately, during a very bad storm, the ship and its entire crew went down.  All of the items onboard were tossed by the seas for years and years to come and eventually, a certain little treasure chest washed up on the sand at Willow Grove... where we left it to be discovered again and again.  I really am concerned about Moms eyesight.

Here's to hoping that this year holds adventures, discoveries and some magical moments for you and those you love.

Loves & Licks,

Stella