Chimney Monkey Infestation

Suzanne was showing off to Jasper how she could climb from the camelia to the chimney. He was impressed, but wanted to do it, too. I got them off the chimney by pretending to be driving away an infestation of chimney monkeys, which are at least as bad as roof rats.

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Cozy Grandma

Here's a glimpse of Elizabeth's future as a Grandma with her warm drink, cozy shawl, and loyal feline.

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Sauvie Island

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Talent Show 2017

Last night was the Woodstock Elementary talent show. It was crazy crowded and hot, as is typical with these kinds of events, and was undoubtedly super fun for the kids who got to run around like maniacs in the school where order normally reigns.

Barb volunteered to sell baked goods -- her home made brownies sold like... hotcakes? Suzanne and I watched from the audience. Elizabeth sang with her 3rd grade class. Friend Lily sang in a trio called "Olivia, Olivia and Olivia."

Suzanne told me that she had pitched Barb on the idea of participating, showing off her stilt-walking skills, but it didn't come together for whatever reason.

The night was clear, with a nearly full moon. Suzanne hooked up with some friends and ended up going on an impromptu sleepover. Elizabeth ran around the school yard in the dark with a pack of kids, playing some inexplicable game.

Afterward, Elizabeth stated that she wanted to do a solo act next year. Then she stood on the steps of the school and recited scenes from various Harry Potter books. Not sure that's her greatest talent, but we've got a year to refine it.

Here is Mrs. Belcher's third grade class singing "I'll Be There." Elizabeth is front and center.

Teacher Mick, Suzanne's kindergarten teacher, demonstrated his talents on the ukulele. It's unusual to have a male kindergarten teacher, but Teacher Mick is awesome, and runs his classroom with military precision.

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Pince-Nez

I reminded Elizabeth tonight of the fact that as a younger child she could pinch her nose closed without using her fingers. This happened, naturally, when we were at the pool. I'd never seen anyone do this and sort of chalked it up to weird baby powers. Babies sometimes have weird powers that fade as they get older. But Elizabeth, reminded of this strange ability, instantly replicated it. And then so did Suzanne. Barb and I both tried it and Barb did OK, but nothing like the 100% nose-pinching of the girls, and I had nothing to show for my efforts.

Cards

We've started playing card games! Seems weird, in retrospect, that we haven't been doing that all along. Sherry (aka Grandma) was a big contract bridge player before she moved to Portland. She never found a group to play with here in Stumptown. So recently we started playing Russian Bank. Mom and I played it a few times, then I taught it to Suzanne, who took to it like a carp to a pond. It's pretty fun, especially if you have some luck on your side.

At the coast this past weekend, we had a four person Russian Bank tournament, so Barb and Elizabeth had to learn. Grandma won the tournament handily. She has good luck with cards. (The prize, by the way, was a souvenir. After I foolishly announced that, both children were crazy to win, and kept insisting that if the other child won they [the non-winner] would be "owed" a souvenir as well. So thank God Sherry won the tournament. She didn't want a souvenir. Kids got zero souvenirs that weren't picked off the sand of the beach.)

Russian Bank is good... but it's more luck than strategy. Hoyle says that it's not a "game" so much as a "double solitaire."

I know that because Ken and Ted sent us the According to Hoyle book, and from it (wanting to push beyond Russian Bank), Grandma and I learned (or re-learned) Gin Rummy. That's a simple-but-fun game that I think we'll have many hours of enjoyment playing.

If anyone knows good 2-person card games, let me know.

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Suzanne: Comic Artist

I was so thrilled to come home from work the other night to find Suzanne drawing and writing her own comic strip! Absolutely amazing (in my experience) for a kindergartner! (You can see in the big panel there that she's influenced by good old Jim Davis -- as was I. He's a giant, and you cannot deny it.)

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