Three Things I Wish I Could Show You

Since my little camera bit the dust, I have been fairly imageless on this blog (except for a few grainy photos taken with the camera that's built in to my computer). Three times in the last two days I have wished I had a camera to capture:

#1 The beautiful snowfall we had yesterday. It began in the pre-dawn hours and lasted most of the day, tapering off toward mid-afternoon. Luckily, I had checked the weather forecast the night before, and so did not have to go down to the basement and dig through bins of winter clothing at six o'clock in the morning. Instead, I did it at eight o'clock Sunday night, and from amongst the jumble of a few new items and lots of hand-me-downs, everyone had snow pants, boots, hats and mittens that fit (note: I did not say that they all matched). Although October snowfalls always feel too early and catch me by surprise, here in and around South of the River, we almost always have at least one. So, I bit my tongue when I wanted to complain about it, and tried to enjoy the soft beauty of the snowscape. (By the way, another great photo would have been the children playing in the snow after school -- is there anyone happier than a child on the first snowy day?).

#2 AJ using a sleep mask to block out the light at night. Somewhere, somehow, in the recesses of some box or bottom drawer, AJ found a few items left over from Husband's long-ago trip to Japan. They included airplane socks and a sleep mask. "Mom, what's this?" he asked, holding out the sleep mask. And so I explained to him what it was. The look on his face was pure Eureka! "That's PERFECT!" he said, "now I can block out all the light while The Bean's reading and all the lights he turns on in the middle of the night when he goes to the bathroom!" Apparently, AJ likes complete darkness when it comes to sleeping. So, the last few nights, as he climbs into bed, he pulls on his sleep mask and snuggles into his covers with a peaceful smile on his face, knowing his night will be dark as dark.

#3 (OK, this would have to be a video clip) Sister setting up a tea party while singing "I Am Woman Hear Me Roar." Or, as she says, "I am women, hear me RAR." I was sitting on the couch watching and listening, and it took a few minutes for it to sink in....... that what I was watching was a tiny little girl, daintily pouring pretend tea and offering milk and sugar oh-so-politely, while singing Helen Reddy. Did I teach her this? I thought to myself, wondering if she had ever seen me set up a tea party (I don't think so), and, When did I take to signing Helen Reddy without realizing it? I had to laugh, and then remembered fondly the time back in the 70s when my Aunt Kate taught me that song. Perhaps it's becoming a family tradition.

And here's a Helen Reddy fix in case you need one.