And What Else?

My second granddaughter is not even two years old but she knows how to say a lot of words.  She can say no, mine, Daddy, Mommy, Eva (sounds like Haddie), Grandma (sounds like Bahpah), boots, high, whee (which means a playground slide), meow (means all cats and dogs), kaka, please, thank you, excuse me, yes, ciao ciao, kefir, latte, milk, night-night, and bye-bye. My first granddaughter has a very extensive vocabulary including onomatopoeia.  She likes to ask many questions. She listens carefully to the answers.  Then she asks, "And

what else?" She will keep asking "And what else?" until you run out of things to say.  I think she has an interesting interview technique. When she asks me that question I find myself taking the conversation in places I did not think it would go. As I listen to her question her parents I realize she gets some explanations that even I didn't know. I think I will take a lesson from this young child and start asking, "And what else?" myself!

Warm Feelings!

Snow fell all day today and I wasn't happy about it at all until I glanced out the window and saw that a coworker had dusted the snow off my car for me without saying a word. What a warm feeling it was to see this kind act performed for me.  I had a pretty good idea who it was because a woman who parks near me walked by a half hour earlier with snow all over her clothes and a snow brush in her hand.  I thanked her and gave her a fist bump. Unfortunately I had to work an extra hour today to help someone who was stuck in a ditch. So when I finally got to warm up my own car, quite a bit more snow had fallen on it. Still, if it wasn't for this snow, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to feel the warm feeling of gratitude that I did today.

Brown Sugar Slush

I was looking out my office window at the parking lot as I searched for something in a file cabinet when I glanced up to see a man walking with two young boys. The smaller of the two boys had a blue parka on with snow boots and a little pair of jeans on his legs.  The man and the older boy walked ahead of him. The smaller boy changed course and instead of going around the speed bump, he attempted to go over it. He lost his balance a little so he reached his bare hand into the brown slush to steady himself. The slush has the consistency of brown sugar which might possibly explain what he did next.  The little boy put his slushy hand into his mouth to taste the slush. Then he took his hand out and wiped it on his coat. He did all this before his father and brother turned around to look at him.  I am sure I made a disgusted looking face watching him do that.  I cannot imagine what that salty slushy mixture of chemicals, oil, transmission fluid, salt, bird droppings, ash, and sand tasted like and I do not want to know. Sometimes I am surprised any humans make it to adulthood at all. The things kids put in their mouths can be disgusting. Once when Offspring #1 was about six months old I had him outside in the early morning before work so I could hang his cloth diapers on the line. I set him down under the clothes line. When I finish I pick him up and see that his teeth are green. Yeah, he ate a rabbit turd. He lived through that so I suppose this boy will make it too.

Sharp Snow!

This morning when I went to do my chicken chores the snow had a hard crust on top. I was reminded of a walk I took. I was in the eighth grade. I walked from my home to a Girl Scout meeting. (This might have been one of the last Girl Scout meetings I ever attended). The meeting was at Capitol View Junior High.  To get there I could have walked along the street. Instead I decided to take a short cut across the field (where there are now houses and an extra street and an elementary school) to the road. I was wearing a skirt, ankle socks, and those black rubber overshoes with the fake gray fur collars. These boots zipped up the front.

The snow came nearly to my knees. Walking through the snow with my bare legs was unpleasant and cold. When I got to the street I looked down and saw that the icy crust on the snow was sharp and I had numerous small cuts to the skin on my legs. Each cut had a couple drops of blood. This snow was sharp snow.  My skin was so cold I didn't feel all the pain so that was good. As I finished the walk to my Girl Scout meeting I began to question the benefits of being a Girl Scout. Walking home I decided not to cut through the field and stay on the side of the road instead. Today it snowed all day. Accumulation was not as much as I thought it would be.  This fall I read the Farmers Almanac forecast and it called for a mild dry winter. Because of that forecast I decided not to pay for a plowing contract this year. Well, I just spent a full hour shoveling snow. Actually it wasn't so bad.  I was dressed appropriately so I wasn't cold.  I like how the snow stifles the sounds and all is quiet out there. Since I have been shoveling this driveway for a quarter of a century I have an efficient shoveling pattern that I follow. Is the driveway perfectly clean of snow. No, not by a long shot. I am fairly certain I will be able to drive out of here tomorrow without a problem though and that is my goal for now.

Airport Security

On my last trip I went through security a dozen times. Different countries have different rules about what to do. Most security agents want travelers to put their small liquids in a plastic bag.  I forgot to do that this time and no one worried. Security in our country wants u to take our shoes off but I didn't have to do that in Italy, Greece nor Turkey. All airports I have been in want my computer out of my bag.  Because of the metal in my body I always get a physical pat down search.  This feels awkward but most of the security staff are nice about it. On this trip I was questioned about an item I forgot I even packed.  I guess when my trusty old backpack goes through the x-ray machine the image of a harmonica causes eyebrows to raise.  Harmonicas seem harmless to me; annoying but harmless.

Hygge

I just finished reading this book by Meik Wiking about Hygge - The Danish Way To Live Well.  Actually I listened to the author read it to me. This is a short book yet a very thorough explanation.  The author claims that the Danish nation is the happiest country on this planet. Hugge involves being in the moment, being comfortable, being self-indulgent and being satisfied.  Candles and fire places are hugge.  Cozy sweaters, hot tea or mulled wine, and spending time with friends are hugge. In the book are several recipes for foods that are hugge and most involve butter and sugar. If you want to feel more contentment in your life, you should read this book and start living like a Dane.

Italian Folktales

While in Italy I read Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino.  This is a collection of 200 folk tales. Some of them resemble folktales from other countries. Several resemble Bible verses. Many of the stories talk about love at first sight. A man sees a woman and is in love or vice versa. Some stories involve animals and other stories involve kings and paupers. This is a book best read in segments. I think it would be a good bed time story book for children.  Reading 200 folktales in a row is a bit overwhelming because they all run together.