A Drawing Prodigy?
The boy stayed at his grandparents' house for an evening during our vacation, and during that visit he acquired one of those plastic, spring-loaded claw things with which old people reach for dropped keys and young people reach for someone's ear or glasses. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!
Actually, he hasn't been too annoying with it. And the other day, while fiddling with the loudest drawing game ever devised, he managed to draw it.
Now, I'm sure this is just a coincidence that it looks like anything recognizable. But still. Wow.
In other news, we enjoyed a windy but not-too-cold Silver Bells in the City last night, where there is a parade of mostly semi trucks covered in lights and various high school marching bands playing Christmas songs, the governor lights the big Christmas Tree in front of the Capitol, and fireworks light up the night sky. We had a very nice time, no one seems to have been shot (a disturbingly more common occurrence in the downtown area lately), and finished up the night with a nice meal at Clara's.
And now we backtrack a bit mentally and prepare for Thanksgiving at my parents' house. I have a grocery bag full of nuts and candy, and a fridge full of hard boiled eggs that will be transformed into deviled eggs soon, my small contributions to the meal. I'm hoping my former chef brother-in-law will have something to do with the main course. And I'm looking forward to showing Calvin off to my aunt and uncle, who have not seen him since my grandmother's funeral when he was six weeks old.
I'm also contemplating the possibility of a real tree for Christmas this year. What are your thoughts on real vs. artificial trees? We always had one of each when I was growing up, but for the past decade we've only put up an artificial one. Any passionate opinions out there?
Well, since you ask, I sit comfortably on the fence. Some of my best childhood memories are of going to get the Christmas tree. Mom always cut branches out of the evergreens in the back garden to wire into the bought tree to make it look better ("hy not just take one of those trees? I never thought to ask until now.) You can't beat the smell of a real tree. However, the smell is really all it has going for it. Eventually she bought a fake tree - an 8 footer like the ones she bought and we all lived happily ever after. I did much the same after moving to England. I hunted real trees for a few years then, deciding the prices were just too silly, I purchased an 8' fake tree and I've been very happy with it. I need a bit tree, you see, because I have all of Mom's ornaments to put up...
http://shelleyshouse.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-past-new-year-to-come.html
We too have a fake tree. It saddens me, but it is for the best: better for the environment, better on the pocketbook, and better for the marriage. Why for my marriage, you ask? My dad use to work SO hard to hide the light wires on the tree - and it looked so nice. I wanted my husband to do the same on our tree, so we sould end up in a fight about how the lights looked. Now - they are pre-strung and look great as soon as the tree is put together...