On the NRVT

On Tuesday Lola and I talk a long walk (1.5 hours) on the NRVT in Wilton, going from Sharp Hill Road to Route 7 and back.

Near Route 7, we saw this stuffed animal on the trail.

I think this is ingenious combination of stuffed animal and pacifier. I probably could have been a customer.

I don't think I ever used a pacifier, but I did suck my thumb. As I did that, I held my puppet Herman in my hand.

Here's Herman.

According to my parents, Herman was some kind of giveaway for Oldsmobile when my uncle worked for a dealer. I don't remember how I got him or why I was so attached to him. At best, he was funny looking; he could have been scary to a young child. He used to have big ears, but various dogs have chewed on him over the years. My mother put a spool of thread in his neck to support him and sewed him clothes.

Here's the latest outfit she made for him.

For whatever reason, Herman was the one I chose over the more conventional stuffed animals.

When I was a teenager, I threw Herman in the trash. My mother rescued him, and I'm forever grateful that she did.