Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Packing List

The night before my father sailed he borrowed his father's knapsack and he and the cat packed everything very carefully. He took chewing gum, two dozen pink lollipops, a package of rubber bands, black rubber boots, a compass, a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste, six magnifying glasses, a very sharp jackknife, a comb and a hairbrush, seven hair ribbons in different colors, an empty grain bag with a label saying "Cranberry," some clean clothes, and enough food to last my father while he was on the ship. He couldn't live on mice, so he took twenty-five peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and six apples, because that's all the apples he could find in the pantry.

-Ruth Stiles Gannett, My Father's Dragon, 20.

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Note to self: Must remember to pack two dozen pink lollipops for my impending trip to the Cape. Also a very sharp jackknife and seven hair ribbons in different colors.

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