The kids have started to notice airplanes, and this excites me. There is not an airplane that flies overhead during our time outside that I don't gawk at. It's a reflex that can't be helped. I hear the whine of high bypass turbofan engines (or in the case of the ubiquitous DC-9, the throaty rumbling of its ridiculously dirty and ineffecient engine), and I feel this hard-wired need to jerk my eyes skyward. This has caused problems for me in the past: while crossing the street, while tending the nets during soccer, when biking down Portland. The soccer thing was especially hard when playing at Ft. Snelling, where the skies are lousy with metal. I can remember being faced with a very palpable offensive threat, tensing every muscle in preparation of having to make (or fail to make) a save, when I would just have to - HAVE to - glance at the A330 that was lumbering overhead, just to make sure. Make sure of what, you ask? I have no clue at all. But I have to look. Every time.
Now the girls are on board. What impresses me is that they notice something that should probably, by all logical accounts, not be there. An airplane just doesn't make sense, really. This is something the dog has failed to grasp for many years. I'm always confused as to why animals aren't going out of their minds with all the marvels of modern living. Why is Olly's reaction to an airplane not, "Holy shit! What the hell is that thing?! Run!!"? Animals are strange, and so accepting of the world, with no questions. Somehow I take pleasure that my girls are starting to analyze what they see. It comforts me, that quizzical spirit.
I like to imagine that, if given the chance to experience, say, a 757 in a hangar, they would likely try to put it in their mouths. It's a nice image...757 in NWA livery (or Delta, whatever) sticking out of Lily's mouth, us shaking our heads at the inevitibility of it all.
We're in that phase - I say "we", but Jen is much better at it - where we say the name of whatever it is they are looking at. This is meant to teach them words, and of course it's working like a charm. Here's how it usually goes:
Us: "Tree!"
Them: "..."
U: "House!"
T: "daaaaaaaaaaaaa"
U: "Drug deal!"
T: "wawwwawwwawww" (that's Lily, mimicking what I can only guess is a cop car)
U: "Northwest Boeing 757 with winglets in the landing configuration!"
T: "..(snore)."
They learned that reaction from their Mommy.
Day fifty three.
Okay, Dave, just as you must look at the planes overhead, I am totally blown away by those artichokes!!! They are my favorite vegetable ever, and i am truly marveling at the beauty of those particular models! WOW! Where did you get them? I need some.
ReplyDeleteNext time you get artichokes, let me know and we can collaborate. My ADD husband gets too bored with them, which usually means I get to eat most of his too (a good thing), but I'd love to share them with people who truly appreciate them! Baffoonery is also welcome in my kitchen.