Smelly Rocks

The other night at bedtime my son wanted us to read a book he's had on his shelf for a long time but has not been chosen until recently. "Everybody Needs a Rock" by Byrd Baylor. It is a beautifully illustrated book that includes ten rules for finding a rock.

My son got very excited that one of the rules says to sniff a rock and that some kids can tell by sniffing whether a rock came from the middle of the earth or from an ocean or from a mountain... and adults can not do this. Sort of like the sleigh bell in the Polar Express.

He ran around the house finding our collections of rocks and smelled them. He came back to me still lying on his bed and very purposefully explained to me (because of course I could not know this being a grown-up) that:

• the chunk of amethyst (that I had collected from northern MN) had been deep in the ground a long time and that's why it turned to crystal,
• the brown, smooth tiger's eye rock had come from a river and had been knocked around and smoothed by the water,
• and the black rock smelled old.

For anyone interested and do not have access to this wonderful book, here is a shortened version of the 10 rules for finding a rock, because, of course, everybody needs a rock.

1. Go to a mountain, but anyplace will do.
2. Don't let other people bother you.
3. Look the rock right in the eye.
4. Don't get a rock that is too big.
5. Don't choose a rock that is too small.
6. Touch the rock; the size must be perfect.
7. Look for the perfect color.
8. The shape is up to you.
9. Always sniff the rock.
10. Don't ask anybody to help you choose. You have to make up your own mind. You'll know.

Happy rock hunting!