Welcome to Wonderland!

The sun shone brightly in the Louisiana sky. A cool breeze danced through my hair, blowing it in every direction across my face. For being in the heart of Southern Louisiana, the weather was nice and cool as was to be expected upon the arrival of fall.

I journeyed out of my house on a quest for inspiration. Walking in the yard, I searched for a name the would perfectly fit my newly dyed creation. No names I came up with described the beautiful yellow-green color that had developed in the white woolen strands.

A flash of red drew my attention as it scurried past in a hurry through the tall grass in front of me and towards the muddy bank of the bayou. My curiosity got the best of me, and I hurried after the rushed crustacean. Dodging tree roots, I chased the crawfish to the edge of the murky water. A large crawfish hole sat hidden in the hollowed-out bottom of an old cypress. The tree reached high into the sky, its branches like giant hands forming a canopy that cast shadows over the entire area. I couldn't help but feel that I had discovered a secret as I watched the crawfish jump into the gaping mouth of the hole.

Peaking over the rim of mud, I could only see the darkness of what appeared to be a bottomless pit. Suddenly, as if invisible arms pushed me, I lost my balance and tumbled down into the crawfish hole. Air rushed past me in a whoosh and through my ears, sounding like the engine of a freight train. I dropped down, down, down until I landed on a soft cushion of grass. The tail of the crawfish was just disappearing through a grouping of trees in the distance.

I hurried behind the crawfish stopping at an opening in the trees. In that opening was a table with some critters talking to the crawfish. Their chitter-chatter grew quiet as they finally noted my presence in their secret domain.

“Hello” The dappled dachshund smiled at me. “My name is Zoe, welcome to our handwork club”.

“I am Penelope.” A skunk in a pink dress and flowered hat chimed in next. “And this is Gertie.” Penelope told me, pointing to the old, wise-looking turtle seated beside her. Gertie wore a pair of brown tortoise colored glasses with a multicolored beaded chain.

“I am Cecilia” The crawfish was the last of the bunch to introduce herself. Each of the critters had a different set of mediums and tools in front of them. It seemed like I had interrupted one of their crafting sessions.

“We all do handwork of different sorts," Celia said noticing my staring. “I spin fiber into yarn, Zoe crochets, Penelope smocks and Gertie does heirloom sewing."

"Do you do any type of handwork?" Zoe asks.

“I dye yarn.” I told them. " I was looking for inspiration for my latest piece when I saw Celia run past me in a hurry."

“Would you like to join us?” asked Penelope.

“Yes, I would.” I answered.

Taking my seat at the table, I noticed a mushy green substance in a bowl at the table's center. Occasionally, one of the creatures would take a spoonful and place it on a plate of chips they had in front of them.

“What is in the bowl on the table?”

“Guacamole” answered Gertie. “I just love it”. She takes another heaping spoonful.

“That’s it!” I said. “That is what I will call my new color, ‘It’s Guacamole."

"Sounds perfect!" Penelope exclaims, and the others give their approval.

I laughed and talked with my new group of friends for the remainder of the day.