I decided to pick it up and put it in the grass on the side of the path. Very slowly, I reached down to pick the snail up — I didn’t want to startle it — and gingerly picked up … an acorn.

Yes, an acorn. Not a snail.

I may need to get out of the city more often. Or maybe I’m just not cut out for all that nature.

— Christine Lavin

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New Lining

Dear Diary:

My friend Leah, who lives in Brooklyn, has a fabric handbag she loves dearly. She got it from a friend who has since died. It is handmade and beautiful, but it has gotten a lot of use and the lining needs replacing.

I belong to a quilting group on the Upper West Side. I told Leah I would ask whether anyone in the group had material that would be appropriate for a new lining, and whether they knew anyone who could do the work.

At a recent meeting of the group, Rose, a friend of one of the regular members, was there as a visitor. When I showed a picture of the handbag, she smiled.