Currently, the most popular books in our house are Amber Brown, A to Z Mysteries, Capital Mysteries, and, the ever so popular, Nate the Great. Nate the Great has come in and out of popularity for the past year as ha the idea of being a detective. Yesterday, being a detective was "in!"

On our walk home we discovered the mom was incorrect in her assumption that the snow would melt away removing the tracks discovered that morning. The sun spared a few tracks for further examination. She is still "sure" that it is a deer.

The snow also left another mystery to be solved in the form of car tracks. You are probably thinking, you live in Northern Virginia... there are cars... what is the big deal. Let me explain. Our neighborhood is quite small and tucked away next to county land. It is a new area in that it once was part of a historical house still standing in the neighborhood. If you look on a map, one of the main streets connect our neighborhood, through the wooded area, to the neighborhood in which the school is located. The map does not tell you that the road is blocked on our side of the woods. There is a pedestrian/cyclist pass through, but cars are not permitted. Thus, which my wee detective spotted the car tracks on this area where cars are not permitted - there was a mystery to be solved.

She, single mindedly, followed the tracks around the trail, up a hill, and believes that it came out near our house. I have to admit that it appears that this is what the vehicle did. I can't figure it out myself. Usually the cars will (foolishly) swing around the poles marking the walk through and run over some plants to return to the road. It is very odd to think that one traveled down that path. Perhaps they were county workers taking out trees, caring for the grass... something? That mystery remains to be solved.

I wonder if children, throughout the generations, have, at one time or another, found themselves on the trail of a good mystery; walking in the shoes of Sherlock Homes, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, or our very own Nate the Great. I remember scouting the neighborhood with my friend (and neighbor) J in search of a case to solve. Perhaps I am still looking for solutions, but now I do this through analysis etc over actual mysteries?

Like my daughter, when it comes to books, I still love a good mystery!