13 IT’S TIME

IT'S TIME CHAPTER 13 Sassafras and I laughed as we ran through the green grass in our yard. The sun shone down on our faces, and the caterflies flitted happily through the warm spring air while we played another game of tag. The caterflies were really fast so it wasn't a fair game (they always won), but we enjoyed it anyway. I flopped on the ground to catch my breath, and Sassafras jumped on my stomach. A pile of giggling caterflies soon joined him. I closed my eyes and smiled as the sun warmed my face, when Sassafras

是时候了我和黄樟笑着跑过院子里的绿草地。 阳光照在我们的脸上，毛毛虫在温暖的春天空气中欢快地飞翔，我们又玩起了捉人游戏。 毛毛虫跑得很快，所以这不是一个公平的游戏（它们总是赢），但我们还是很享受。 我扑通一声趴在地上喘口气，黄樟跳到我的肚子上。 一群咯咯地笑着的毛毛虫很快也加入了他的行列。 我闭上眼睛，微笑着，阳光温暖着我的脸

let out a meow. "What is it, buddy?" I asked, ruffling his fur. I peeked with one eye and saw my mom coming over. She had a bucket and her gardening clothes on. I propped myself up on my elbows. "It's time," she said. I knew this was coming. "Are you sure they can't stay a little bit longer?" I whined. "We need to replant the catnip plants. They're

叫一声。“怎么了，伙计？”我一边抚弄他的毛，一边问道。 我偷看了一眼，看到妈妈过来了。 她带着一个水桶，穿着园艺服。 我用胳膊肘撑着身子。 “是时候了，”她说。我就知道会这样。 “你确定他们不能再多待一会儿吗？”我颇有微词。 “我们需要重新种植猫薄荷。 他们

getting too big for their pots. Plus, the caterfly eggs are due to hatch any day now. You don't want the caterpillars growing up inside a greenhouse, do you? Not when they could grow up seeing this beautiful sky every day?" Mom lifted her arms out, tilted her head back, and smiled with eyes closed toward the sun. She had a point. It was beautiful out here. "You can still visit them, you know," she added. I sighed and hauled myself up. The caterflies fluttered around my head. "It's time! It's time!" they chirped. They were so excited. I tried my best to be happy for them as I followed my mom back to the greenhouse. After we filled the wagon with supplies, I ran into the house and grabbed my backpack with my camera and science journal. I couldn't keep the caterflies, but I could at least take a photo of them. I led the way to the catnip field, and Sassafras trotted behind, carrying a load of happy caterflies on his fur. Poor Sassafras would be lonely without those caterfly cuddles! "You dig up the dead plants and a good bit of

对他们的锅来说太大了。 另外，毛毛虫的卵随时都可能孵化。 你不希望毛毛虫在温室里长大，对吧？ 当他们长大后每天都能看到这美丽的天空时，就不会吗？”妈妈伸出双臂，向后仰着头，闭着眼睛对着太阳笑了。 她说得有道理。这里很美。 “你知道，你仍然可以去看他们，”她补充说。 我叹了口气，爬了起来。 毛毛虫在我头上飞舞。 “是时候了!是时候了！” 他们非常兴奋。当我跟着妈妈回到温室时，我尽了最大的努力为他们感到高兴。 我们把补给品装满马车后，我跑进屋里，抓起装有相机和科学杂志的背包。 我不能养毛毛虫，但我至少可以给它们拍张照片。 我带路去猫薄荷地，黄樟在后面小跑着，皮毛上驮着一堆快乐的毛毛虫。 没有那些毛毛虫的拥抱，可怜的黄樟会很孤独的！“你把死去的植物挖出来，再挖出一些

the soil around them as well," Mom instructed. "All the thawing snow and rain we had a few weeks ago helped flush out most of the salt, but it's best to be safe. I'll add some fresh soil around each of the new catnip plants." Mom nodded her head toward the huge bag of potting soil we'd hauled in the wagon. We worked and worked, and finally I patted the soil around the last baby catnip plant and sat down to admire our work. "Don't you think Sassafras is doing a good job not drooling on the catnip?" I asked. I looked around for Sassafras. "Wait. Where is Sassafras?" Mom and I scanned the area and found Sassafras sitting completely still in front of a new plant. "What is he doing?" I asked. As I got closer to investigate, I saw that he was cross-eyed. Staring at his nose. I almost fell over laughing. Smack in the middle of Sassafras' nose was a tiny purring caterpillar. It was kneading his nose with its tiny caterpillar legs. "They hatched!" I exclaimed to my mom. She rushed over and laughed when she saw poor Sassafras frozen in place.

还有它们周围的土壤，”妈妈指示道。 “几周前融化的雪和雨帮助冲走了大部分的盐，但最好还是安全。 我会在每棵新的猫薄荷周围加一些新鲜的土壤。” 妈妈朝我们用马车拖来的那一大袋盆栽土点了点头。 我们干啊干啊，最后我拍了拍最后一株小猫薄荷周围的土壤，坐下来欣赏我们的工作。 “你不觉得黄樟没有在猫薄荷上流口水这件事做得很好吗？”我问。 我四处寻找黄樟。 ”等。黄樟在哪里？”妈妈和我扫视了一下这片区域，发现黄樟一动不动地坐在一棵新植物的前面。 “他在干什么？”我问。 当我走近调查时，我发现他是斗鸡眼。 盯着他的鼻子看。我差点笑倒在地。 在萨萨弗拉斯的鼻子中央，有一只小毛毛虫在打呼噜。 它正在用毛毛虫的小腿揉着他的鼻子。 “他们孵化!”我大声对妈妈说。 当她看到可怜的萨萨法斯僵在原地时，她冲过去笑了。

"Wait!" I exclaimed, and Mom stopped in her tracks. I rummaged through my backpack. Ta-da! My camera. This would be the perfect photo! I had to hold my breath so the camera would stop shaking from my giggles. I took the photo and then coaxed the baby caterpillar onto my finger. Sassafras let out a sigh of relief once his nose was caterpillar-free. "He's so tiny!" I cooed. I rubbed his furry back and he purred. "Oh my gosh! He's soooo cute!"

“等等!”我叫道，妈妈停住了脚步。 我翻遍了我的背包。 哈!我的相机。这将是一张完美的照片！我不得不屏住呼吸，这样相机就不会因为我的笑声而晃动。 我拍了照片，然后把毛毛虫宝宝哄到我的手指上。 当他的鼻子里没有了毛毛虫时，萨萨弗拉斯松了一口气。 “他好小啊！”我发出咕咕的叫声。我揉了揉它毛茸茸的背部，它发出了呼噜声。 “哦，我的天哪！他太可爱了！”