Feb 28, 2005
Preschool Fashion Tips
At Russell's preschool, the kids have been running the Hawthorne Family Salon this month. Mostly they put wigs on the parent helpers and curlers in the wigs, and smear smelly lotions on themselves. Sometimes they do things to their fingernails or toenails, something Russell hasn't seen much of in this household.
The other day Russell realized he could decorate nails at home with a magic marker. He colored in his nails, Silas' nails, and my toenails (I dodged the fingernail coloring by claiming I couldn't have it done because I was making dinner). Then it was kind of quiet for a while (cue ominous music).
Eventually, Silas came trotting into the kitchen. He had orange ears. Yes, both ears were carefully and completely colored orange. It really looked pretty cool. I can picture it becoming a fashion among twenty-year-olds.
I love picturing Silas patiently holding still while Russell colored his ears.
Thank goodness they didn't get the scissors out. Hmmm, maybe I should hide them during salon month...
Feb 25, 2005
Friday Dust Mite Blogging: The Rest of the Story
Have you ever heard of Friday cat blogging? Various political weblogs have a tradition of posting photographs of their cats on Friday, as described in this New York Times article.
We, of course, have cats (who look eerily like those of Atrios, except less intelligent), but David thought he would pioneer Friday Dust Mite Blogging. And, indeed, if you look at his weblog, you will see pictures of Dust Mite for the last few Fridays.
Who or what, you may wonder, is Dust Mite?
Dust Mite is pretty much a member of the family since this past Christmas. It was one of a collection of giant microbes sent to Russell by Grandpa George. The giant germs have been a huge hit with the whole family: they can be carted around the house easily, they can ride on Brio trains, they can climb through the dollhouse, they can be dressed in the Groovy Girls doll clothes... the possibilities are endless.
But Dust Mite is the most beloved of all the giant microbes. His/her/its winsome expression, long nose, and multiple legs give him/her/it a particular charm, and Silas is in love. He brings Dust Mite everywhere, even to bed. "Way-er Dut Mite?" is a frequently heard question in our house, or "Way-er my ammal?" (animal). One morning I was gushing at him, "I love you, Silas," when I added (uncharacteristically, I swear), "Do you love me?" In his typical gruff way, he answered, "Yuh." Then, after a little pause, he added in a heartfelt tone, "I love Dust Mite."
With all that said, here is possibly my one and only Friday Dust Mite Blogging picture, along with a cute picture of Silas just for kicks. The Dust Mite is in a nest prepared primarily by Russell, with help from Silas and some of Russell's preschool buddies.
Feb 15, 2005
Future Veterinarian
Our cat Suzzy has been throwing up pretty frequently for a while now. One vet had us trying some vague ideas about switching food, but nothing seemed to be improving much, so we took her to another vet instead. That vet gave us a lot more detail about what could be going on, and took a blood sample to test for thyroid problems, kidney problems, etc. Today she called back and said the blood work was normal, and told me exactly what foods (like meat baby food!) to feed Suzzy for a few days, and explained what we'll do next.
A little later I told Russell all that, and about how the vet was going to help us try to figure out what was wrong with Suzzy's tummy and how to make her better. I guess Silas was listening, because he made his suggestion: "Take peel off cat and look inside." (Actually, "tate peel off dat and wook inyide.")
I called David up and told him that and we agreed we weren't too sure that course of treatment would be popular with the cat.