Chapter 16 Three Cheers for Mesopotamia!
Today is the very first day I will be heading to the forest on my own two feet. Today, I’m leaving my tote bag and slate at home. Instead, I’ve got a wooden basket on my back like everyone else (although mine is smaller), containing a shovel that I’ll be using to dig up the earth. I can’t help but think of a wooden spatula when I look at this shovel, though. To be perfectly honest, I think this spatula is going to be even less effective at actual excavation than the little plastic shovels that kids use in the sandbox. Doesn’t anyone else see this?
As I brandish the shovel, which absolutely looks like it is going to break immediately, my father grabs me firmly by the shoulder. He turns me around to face him, and starts giving me the same lecture th
