“Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rice“
— Lucy’s version of Sing a Song of Sixpence
Lucy wrote a shopping list and brought it to my store. This is what it said:
Bouncy Mushroom (see fig. 1)
ABC for Wubie (2)
‘Pinano’ music for Wubie to practice (3)
Xylophone (4)
Stickers for me
Cat Toy for Wubie
Circus Cat
Merry-Go-Round
The Palo Alto Obon fest is the third and final Obon festival we attend, and is a bit smaller than the others. It has drums and dancing and food and game booths. We attended the P.A. Obon with Grandmommy two years ago, and keep going in her memory.
This year the big event of the day was Lucy winning a prize at one of the game booths…a kitty cat! She has had luck on the ‘wheel of fortune’ two years in a row. Yay Lucy! I think you’ve found your game!
One of the goofier things Lucy and I do most days is snail racing.
We go out to our garden, and check for snails on various plants, esp. the lemon tree. We pick our contenders. After watering the racetrack, we place the snails in a line with a goal in mind, usually the top of a nearby pot. And they’re off!
Racing snails is similar to cats…they take naps, go the wrong way, turn around a lot. So it can be quite exciting…you never can tell who will win.
Lucy put on a cat show last night. She made a podium out of some boxes, and the three of us judged the cats. Since there was a tie, madame had the deciding vote on the winners.
Here is the winners circle…little grey checked kitten won first prize, followed by yellow kitten and Jiji. Notably absent was…
Lucy plays houses almost every night, and usually there isn’t enough room in the main house for both animal families, so we build another one.
Here’s one located on an island, reached by a bridge. (Note the mice floating on cake islands.)
The other day we built a house for the mouse family which reminded me of the Guggenheim museum, hence the title of this post:
The mouse family inside their new house, they also got some furniture this build:
An overview shot, and a clue to how long it lasted:
Wubert is Lucy’s best friend, worst enemy, and favorite toy. He is a very patient cat.
He endures from her things which he would never tolerate from anyone else…like being dressed in hats and covered in blankets.
He has seen her grow from a tiny baby, and it seems he knows her vulnerability, and that she is little, and still growing.
He loves to play with her, and when she is asleep, he often sits next to her, watchfully, or if it has been a very long nap, prods her to wake up so he can play with her.
He rarely bites or scratches, unless he is really provoked. It takes a lot to get him to do it, and she almost always deserves it.
Even when he is napping, he always seems to have an ear cocked listening for her. The vet says this is the kind of interaction that will keep him young, keeping his mind active and occupied.
So here’s to you Wubie, the very patient cat!
Here’s a video of Lucy reading to koala, shopping at the bookstore, and playing with Wubie. It’s a bit leisurely-paced…and about 9 minutes long. So get a cup of tea, settle in, and enjoy!
Lucy playing (large version) from Jill C on Vimeo.
We were reading one of Lucy’s fave books, Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs, when Lucy decided it was about time to write her letter to Father Christmas.
We got out her letter-writing kit, and with some prompting, she dictated to me:
Dear Father Christmas,
I like your reindeer. I would like a train set. And Wubert would like a dry towel.
(The dry towel being for after he got out of the tub and was a “soggy moggy.”)
I left the room for a moment, and when I came back, she had started to write another letter in her own hand. So I left her to it.
She used all the stamps on her letter, just in case.
A bit later I wandered back in to see Wubert in the midst of creating his own letter. I suspect he did not want a dry towel after all…and was making his wishes known.
We sent the letters out the next day. We’ll keep an eye on the post and report any interesting mail.
Grass Valley Visit from Mike C on Vimeo.
We spent last weekend with Tom and Karen in Grass Valley. This is the (25 minute!) video. Some highlights:
For pics, please refer to Jill’s post.
Music:
Lucy visited her Grandma Karen and Grandpa Tom this weekend, and had lots of fun.
Below are some pics from our visit.
Lucy and Gma share a secret…
Wheeling the “quad” around the kitchen…after this she opened every cupboard and drawer, took out pots and pans to play with, and measuring cups to sort.
She loves playing with the great variety of toys at their house, courtesy of her bigger cousin, especially the quad (above) and the drum. She wheeled all over the house and the yard, and serenaded us with drumming each morning.
At the park on the slide with Daddy; Gpa poses by the double helix ladder.
Lucy got to see her first riverbed up close…
and wade in the water.
She also got to touch a tiny toad…and a much bigger one.
Unfortunately my camera fell in the water just after this small toad, so the big toad will just have to wait for Mike’s fabulous video footage!
Thanks to Gma and Gpa for their generous hospitality and a wonderful weekend!
