Valentine Roundup

We spent a good part of the week constructing lacey construction papery thingies to mail off to grandmas, be handed over to classmates (which usually results in their immediate destruction) or taped on our dining room wall until St. Patrick’s Day or Easter, whichever holiday compels me to re-decorate first.

But check this out:

eleanors-valentine.jpg

This is a valentine that Eleanor made. Brian and I had been spending a lot of time coaxing Jeffrey to scrawl a “J” on each of his valentines, and in the middle of this, Eleanor decided on her own that she would like to write an “E” on her valentines. See those shaky blue laddery things? That’s the letter E. I’m so proud of her!

The best part is that Eleanor narrated her E-construction, in a perfect imitation of the way I try to teach Jeffrey to make his letters:

“You make a big long one, then one part of a letter E, then another bottom part of a letter E, then another part of the letter E, then another part of the letter E, then another. . . ”

This thing might be on the dining room wall until June. Oh, how I loves it so.

What Does It Mean . . .

 . . . when my neighborhood Grocery Store That Always Plays ’70s Music suddenly becomes the Grocery Store That Always Plays ’80s Music?  Am I getting old?  Have I been here too long?

In 2018, will the store suddenly begin playing M.C. Hammer and Enya?

(Shudder.)

Life in Oblivion, or: Lo, What Nerds These Mortals Be

Last Sunday, Brian and I were doing peaceful, quiet things. I was knitting and reading, he was playing a computer game . . . and suddenly we heard a small series of explosions on the street outside.

Pop! Pop pop pop! Pop pop!

BROOKE: Do you hear that?

BRIAN: Yeah . . .

BROOKE: It sounds like firecrackers.

BRIAN: Yeah . . .

BROOKE: But why would someone set off —

BRIAN: — in early February —

BROOKE: — on a Sunday night —

[pause]

BRIAN AND BROOKE: Ohhhhhhh . . .

That’s right, folks. Even though we live in what is generally known as “a drinking town with a football problem,” we had managed to completely forget about the Super Bowl.