Sunday with Gillian

From Gretchen's mother, Barbara Fluck:

I wanted to tell you about Gilly in church and Gilly at lunch. Boy, dress that kid up and she figures she can get away with anything. She can get her boots off now without undoing the zipper. So she hummed one under the pew in front of us. Gretchen retrieved it and put it on the seat--end of story??? Not by a long shot. Little minx picked it up, gave Gretchen a nasty look and hummed it back under the pew and then a look like 'That will take care of that' She stood up on the seat and held the back of our pew, flirted with the old ladies behind her, turned the pages of their hymnals. Of course when there was music she swayed and sort of danced in perfect rhythm. Before Harry went to Sunday school he took a hymnal and sang sotto voce whether there was singing or not. That was after he found he could not get past me and go fight with Nicky--well, at least until the very end when he made it by lying on his belly and wiggling like a snake to get under my leg and feet.

Then Gretchen decided we should go to lunch at Bliss and Harry was so excited he took a flying leap into the booth and hit hard as in tears and howling. It had to have hurt badly. He'd wipe his eyes and then start howling all over again. He did manage to eat his lunch so he could have a sundae like the picture. The waitress made it in miniature. Ice cream cures most pains. Nicky bought him a pack of gum which completed the soothing.

You say Gilly, how about Gilly? Oh yes she was in a high chair at the end of the booth and had a hot dog which Gretchen cut into little circles and gave her a puddle of ketchup for dipping. That was when she figured out how to do something she must have watched the big kids do somewhere. She made the circle into a stamp; the ketchup was the stamp pad and the paper, you ask. Why Mommy's arm of course. Did I mention Gretchen was wearing a new, pretty blouse? I think Gilly missed the fabric but cannot be sure. I wiped Gretchen's arm and that was Gilly's cue to show us that she was operating according to her own plan, and she stamped it again. The high chair was moved and then she moved a bit forward so she could reach my woolen skirt and wipe that nasty ketchup ink off her dainty little fingers. Another move of the chair and she had the ketchup all to herself and she spread it liberally over her face. Just one more adventure--she took a big drink of her juice and let it run down her front. The cold made her gasp and grab her tummy. We gave her a napkin and let her wipe herself. She really looked adorable as the day began.

When they headed for home, I came here and settled into my chair with a good book--which never was read--at least for the next two hours when I woke up and realized I had beat my record for sleeping in my chair, which hitherto had been half an hour. I did have a great time, but it was exhausting. It was Gretchen who deserved all the sympathy. We laughed a lot but I think if I had not been there she might have cried or screamed. I had mentioned in the beginning I was surprised that she brought Gilly. I am sure she understood at the end why I thought that. Well, now you have a full account. Have a good day and we'll see you Thursday.

Snake Oil

It's getting so hard to find decent snake oil these days.

And don't get me started on dehydrated water. Not one local retailer. Not one.

Overheard

Overheard* Monday morning at 8:30 in the central stairwell of Lamont Library, spoken by a young woman into her cell phone:

"Hello, yes. Can I get something in writing that states that I do not have a restraining order against you?"

How does that work? If you are the party who would otherwise have issued a restraining order, wouldn't it be logical to supply your own written statement to that fact? Otherwise, we had all better start writting out statements for all the people we don't mind having within 500' of me. I'm going to start with Rachel Ray. ;-)

And how would you like to be the person on the other end of the line, dealing with this early morning non-sequitur?

blink blink "Do you need this before I have my first cup of coffee?"

*Based on the number of times I overhear bizarre things people declaim into their cell phones in public spaces, this might become a new running feature.

Electric Lighting

Is lightning enlightening?
Or can only lighting
enlighten?

Lightning will lighten,
as lightning's lighting lights,
but is this lightening
enlightening?

Even so, is it
the lightning that
enlightens or
just the lightning's
lightening that
enlightens?

Luminous luminaries of
voluminous illumination
will illuminate
what shocking shocks
this shocking shock
may shake.

Hallowe'en Train

We asked Harry what he wanted to be for Hallowe'en this year.

"I want to be a train."

Do you mean, you want to be an engineer? He got a nifty new engineer uniform for his birthday in August.

"No, I want to be a train."

So Gretchen cobbled together this costume: Harry the Train.

It's Thomas, of course.

Good thing we saved all those boxes, huh?

Nicky dressed as a vampire and Gilly as a pumpkin.

Pretty good, huh?