Ilana always inhabited a world of her own. I used to say that she took 'direction from the sky". In ponyland. Off in some richly imagined land. When she was in kindergarten, she would spend hours in a pile of dirt next to our driveway. Turns out that she had created an entire pill bug universe populated with non-cooperating pill-bugs. She had pill-bug houses, schools, hospitals, roads. Towns, farms, a complete civilization.
My parents were here and Ilana described her pill-bug world to them in great detail. Her concerns about the pill-bugs learning in school. She noted that the pill-bugs didn't use their roads too much and they turned blue and weird if she kept them in the pill-bug lake (jar of water). However, they seemed to be improving in the pill-bug library. All very vital, complex and rewarding. My parents listened in stunned silence not knowing how to participate in the pill-bug world. Didn't bother Ilana much, she always has been self-motivated so she pondered her pill-bug creation on her own.
This shot from 1996 (Ilana's about 10 years old). She's got some kind of imaginary bunny drama going on. You can just see her working it all out in her head.
She always wrote constantly. I'm convinced there's a novel in there somewhere.
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