The Rascal Gene

One of our family's favorite books is Rascal by Sterling North.  I read it as a child, and as soon as Ethan was old enough, I passed on my worn but cherished copy.  Since then, I have bought a new copy so as to preserve mine, and the new copy has been read multiple times.

Rascal was raised by a boy (the author), and the book recounts their adventures together for the first year of Rascal's life (he was later released back into the wild).  Rascal, like all raccoons I suppose, was into everything and provided perfect stories for a book.  One of our favorite scenes from the book takes place over coffee.  The author's parents were drinking coffee and subsequently adding sugar to their cups.  Rascal, not missing a beat, stole a sugar cube and in pure raccoon fashion, attempted to wash it off in a bowl of milk.  You can imagine what happened!  The sugar cube dissolved right before his eyes.  He grabbed more cubes all with the same result.

Too, Rascal was always testing things and feeling things.  I gather from the book that raccoons are very sensory animals, washing their food and wanting to hold anything shiny.

Two of my children have what I have termed "the Rascal gene".  They are the most sensory of animals...I mean, kids.

Trust me, this gene does NOT come from me!  I'm very happy to keep my hands to myself, but my sweet husband?  It has to touch everything to fully take in his environment.  Even when looking at a new car, he knocks on the tires.  What does that prove?  Nothing in my eyes, but to him it means something.  He purposely buys me soft sweaters and clothes just so he can "pet" me (don't read anything into this--it's pure innocence).  I know that when I wear them, the hugs will be longer, and there will be stray hands on my arms as he passes me.  He must touch things before he buys them, and in fact today, walking through some boutique shops in downtown Ann Arbor, he was picking up everything.

I'm not sure how this gene was passed onto Mark and Glo, but I believe it is actually amplified in their DNA!  Just the other day, Mark posted this on his Facebook status:

That awkward moment when you walk past someone wearing a really soft looking coat and you almost reach out and touch it :-)

Mark loves soft things.  He just can't help touching anything that looks soft, or warm, or fuzzy.  Taking him through a department store can be frustrating to say the least; he has to touch everything, and if he can, he'll put on a hat, or scarf, or anything within arm's reach.  I can't even begin to describe what it's like when he goes yarn shopping in a legitimate yarn store!  He has sensory overload!  His hands are in all kinds of baskets, finding the softest possibility.  The nice thing is that when I need to buy him a gift, there are endless possibilities.

Glo shares this gene, although hers manifests slightly differently.  She loves soft things too, and in fact makes a purring noise when she comes in contact with anything fuzzy.  However, Glo loves to touch people and pretty much anything.  When she was little, she wouldn't let go of me when we went anywhere.  It's not that she was scared, but she wanted to take in the scene around her, but not lose me.  As she has aged, she can't go around holding the hands of her family and friends 24/7, but she has learned to do something else:  she "sticks like glue" to anyone she's around.  She walks really, really close to them, and even nudges the person's arm with her own.  If you don't know what she's up to, you definitely feel like your bubble is being invaded, and you steer away from her to get away.  The problem?  She still sticks to your side.  I think if we didn't purposely keep ourselves walking straight, we would just end up walking in circles :-)

Yes, the Rascal gene runs strong in our family.

Well, Glo is here in Ann Arbor with her favorite person on earth.  No, it's not me, although I run a close second.  I haven't seen Glo so happy in a long while, but I didn't appreciate it until she cuddled up to Mark last night.  He was staying overnight in our hotel room because the snowy roads were too dangerous for travel, and long after midnight, she was cuddled up next to him, sharing jokes, laughing, and watching rowing videos on his iPhone.  Even Mark said, "Man, Glo, she's like a raccoon!"  Even though it was a double bed, she was as close as she could possibly be to him and I think he was close to falling off the edge.  She just happens to love touching people, especially the people she loves.