A week ago Amy and I attended a performance of A Winter’s Tale on a night that merited such a label. The day had been snowy, allowing Carl and Amy to have fun sledding while Sarah and I had a cozy nap. Monday morning was then so cold that the girls each had a two-hour delay for school. By Thursday everything was relatively warm and melty, thus making the perfect conditions for everything to freeze and be icy by Friday evening. Sarah had been so excited to go to her acting class Friday evening, but it wasn’t safe to venture out. She was so disappointed, so we did what we always do when faced with a canceled class or closed venue: we called Mom-Mom to vent and share the news. That helped Sarah move through her feelings and we had a cozy evening at home. We ate turkey soup while watching the Frog and Toad Christmas Eve episode.
Amy had a special week of school focused on making movies. Small groups of students made their own movies, acting, directing, and editing their own work. The culmination of their efforts was a two-hour movie extravaganza open to parents and friends. All of the creations were varied and wonderful. My favorite was the one made by Amy’s group in which her bestie’s hands turned into bagels. It involved magical cream cheese, robbing bakeries for more bagels, wanting to turn everyone into bagel people, and taking a bagel rocket ship into space. It ended with Amy in cat jail, which is not really a punishment for bagel thievery if you love being stuck in a barless cage with cats. It was hilarious and creative.
Sarah’s school week was centered on Christmas and she got to dress down (no uniform) on multiple occasions. On Friday she got to wear black and red plaid pajama bottoms and her Christmas sweater that has a penguin in a Santa hat. It was a half-day so she had time to pack for our trip, and was safely home before the roads got icy. As soon as she said goodbye to her beloved bus driver she ran inside to make a card for him, in addition to the present she had already given him. Ultimately, he received two cards about how she loved him and would miss him, made in the time between her exiting the vehicle and before he drove away a few minutes later, after he and I finished chatting. Her cards often involve a steering wheel, a smiling driver, and a smiling passenger wearing glasses. I love how she starts talking about missing her driver before he has even left the premises. Now that we are on our way to St Thomas, she is focused on finding a postcard to send him.
Meanwhile, on the plane, Sarah has her picture of Granddad in hand. That picture also attended the movie showing for Amy’s school, during which Sarah sat with Anna. Sarah very clearly did not want me to sit with her. If it weren’t for Sarah’s nightly summons I might think Carl and I didn’t rank on her list of favorite people! I’m so glad she has so many people in her life that she adores and that she knows we are there when she needs us.
Because of our travel plans, we celebrated Christmas yesterday morning, so we are a little mixed up about what day it is now. Ever keeping the mystery alive with new discoveries about each other, Carl and I have learned something! How we have been together for 28 years without noticing this difference is astonishing. As we discuss our upcoming plans, I keep referring to things based on the date an event will take place. Carl keeps referring to the day of the week. Each of us looks at the other as if they are from another planet. This difference in our approaches further mystifies us because it seems counter to what we would expect based on how we navigate space. I need a left or a right or a landmark that used to be there. Carl is all about north, south, east, and west – which are about as helpful to me as bagel hands.
Last night Sarah had so much ketchup with her fries that I joked she would turn into a tomato. She found this idea hilarious and to make good on her transformation she ordered tomato juice to drink on the plane!
May you have safe travels or cozy non-travels with hands that stay dexterous and directions you can comprehend. May your days and dates align, and may your gingerbread cookies be delicious and come off the pan with ease (unlike some of ours that had to be soaked and scraped with vigor).
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