The Epsilons Build A Tent City

Pilot ballpen drawing on Moleskine ruled pocket notebook.

"The Epsilons" (epsilon- vanishingly small quantities) are what my husband and I called our two children when they were very young children. We still call them "Epsilons" sometimes but they are now teen and pre-teen agers. They loved to build tents in our living room using blankets, sheets, comforters and quilts. They used the furtniture to prop up and anchor the sheets. At one point, they slept at night in the makeshift tent. They begged me not to take them down. Visitors would come to our house and find these blanket tents - an awful mess - and laugh. We sometimes received our visitors in the kitchen or carport. I could not find the heart to take down these tents or "houses" for the sake of having a tidy house. I figured they would soon grow up and tire of playing these games. Their father and I let them enjoy their games. When I was young, we did the same thing. My sisters and I built houses using blankets and my Mother never told us to take them down because the visitors may find them messy. I am always grateful for that. I drew this picture on my Moleskine pocket notebook this afternoon. The big feet are unique features of a character named Isabella Wellesley, who has been living in my Moleskine notebooks for more than four years.