"...And Wisdom to Hide the Bodies."

J is struggling through breakfast waiting for the caffeine to kick in. A has awoken in a flash and is energetically running around the house possessed by the Spirit of Bright Eyed And Bushy Tailed.

A (bounding up to the breakfast table with toys): "J, you want to see a pirate prayer?"

J (dutifully eating some oatmeal): "Um..."

A: "It's not about killing." (Tries to hide toy cannon.)

J (reaching for some fortifying tea): "Okay..."

A: "So first you take the pirate (takes plastic pirate figure) and you put him in a box (puts hapless pirate into a small treasure chest).... (suddenly remembering that the pirate has to die non-violently) he's very sick, and he dies."(closes the chest over the pirate). His friends are very sad. They scoop out his soul... and they scoop out his brains...

(J resists a smile at this Egyptian cross-over)

... and they take his soul and put it into a cannon ball (positions cannon at dead pirate in a chest) and they fire! (sweeps the dead pirate off the breakfast table) and fire him into the sea!"

J (genuinely confused): "That's the prayer?"

A: "Yeah. Because, J, they had to take the soul out of the pirate and kill him and put him into the water -- but no one would know one of the pirates was dead because he was at the bottom of the sea."

J (less confused): "So, that's the prayer? That no one will find the dead pirate?"

A: "Yeah." (Runs off to rip up pirate treasure maps into teeny tiny shreds...)

Graveyard Photos

It's Rainy and Dreary...

M: "So, A; what do you want to do today?"

A: "I want to see a graveyard and a castle."

So we did. We went to the local pioneer graveyard. After about a half-hour of taking photographs, we drove to a nearby winery. Through a lucky series of events, we got to climb up into the tower! And the winery has its very own pioneer graveyard, too; so mortuarial perambulations were the order of the day.

...and as the Fox in the School Play...

A's class put on a play last Friday. The parts were assigned randomly by "The Sticks of Destiny!" (which explains some utterances at home). Friday, the Sticks of Destiny said that A would be the Fox.

Firework Rewards

Scene: early evening. A has been relatively good all afternoon, so M has promised to bring out the fireworks. Strangely enough, the conversation had been a review of when and when not to call 911.

(M goes into the garage and returns with explosives.)

A (to the house in general): "Fireworks fill my heart with joy!"

(J & M smile.)

A: "J! J! If I had a cannon ..."

J (to M): "If I had a cannon..."

M (singing): "If I had a cannon..."

J (also singing): "I'd fire it in the mor-or-or-nig / I'd fire it in the evening / all over this land / I'd fire out justice! -"

A: "J!"

J: "- I'd fire out freedom! -"

A: "J! J! You're being too loud!"

M and A head out the front door.

M: "J, would you get the salad tongs so I can pick up the used fireworks?"

J gets the salad tongs from the kitchen and steps out onto the front porch.

J: "I'll stand here so I can call 911."

M: "That's what cell phones are for. A, do you want the Butterflies, or the spinning Wheel of Death?"

A: "Spinning Wheel of Death!"

Happy Holidays

The Photographer at Work

We went to visit some friends.

















They are remodelling their house, so there was minimal furniture.












What's the coolest thing if you're a pre-school boy? Bigger boys!