Fun with the Cousins

It is always an adventure when family visits the farm, perhaps most of all when cousins visit! Take a look at all the fun Thomas had with his cousins, Jackson and Reese, last week...

Posing with Ollie:

(Jackson)

(Reese)

Strolling around in the wagon...

Cutting "vegetables" on the porch...

(Watch out! Don't cut Daddy's toes!)

Fun with the water hose...

A Wheelbarrow Full of Books!

Recently, Thomas received a very special gift: a wheelbarrow of books from Aunt "Jussie" and Uncle Bob! Of course, we had fun reading about Sal's blueberries, the little fireman, and the big blue octopus, but the best part was piling the books in the wheelbarrow and dumping them out...over and over and over again!

For those of you who don't know, Aunt "Jussie" and Uncle Bob are two of my very favorite people. Joyce--dubbed "Jussie" by me before I had mastered certain language skills--is my mother's sister, and Bob is her husband. They have owned and operated Haggle Shop Antiques in downtown Kingsport for over 40 years, and they have worked tirelessly to promote historic preservation, small businesses, and community values in their hometown. When I was young, I spent many days and nights at their house watching movies that Uncle Bob had taped on his VCR (I still cherish the copies of "Gone with the Wind," "The Blue and the Gray," and "North and South" that he made just for me!); drinking hot tea with extra milk made by Aunt Jussie to perk me up in the morning (always a challenge); helping them refinish furniture in their driveway (I can still smell the stripper!); and "loving" (more like "pestering") their gray tabby cat, Fluffy, (God rest her soul, I don't think she ever forgave me for pouring a bottle of lotion on her fur). And needless to say, they always gave good presents like jadeite bowls and home-taped miniseries and BOOKS. And love.

There is no doubt that Aunt Jussie and Uncle Bob shaped who I am today. In fact, if you ask my mother, she'll say I'm more like them than her...antiques, old movies, hot tea, cats...I think she's right! And don't be surprised in a few years to find Thomas curled up on the couch, Ollie cat in lap and steaming cup of tea in hand, watching Scarlet O'Hara shaking a radish at the world and pronouncing that she'll "never be hungry again!"

Apples to Manzanas!

I thought I would let all you language lovers out there know that Thomas has been making connections right and left between Spanish and English this month. When asked to point to "la luna," Thomas will find the moon and say, "moon!" When hearing the word "perro" (dog), he exclaims, "Chucha!" This one will take some explaining: Chucha is a black Chihuahua who belongs to Jose, a local Mexican man we hire to help out with odd jobs on the farm. This past week, we have been cleaning out our back barn, and Jose has been hauling off scrap metal for us. He brings Chucha every day. (As I understand it, "Chucha" is not a very flattering word; it means something like "little bitch come here!" in Spanish. So, we should probably nip that name in the bud before Thomas gets too accustomed to it--and subsequently gets smacked by a senorita he is trying to woo.)

And today, out of the blue, when Lance said "manzana" at breakfast, Thomas piped with conviction and gusto, "apple!" All day, our household has been full of "manzana-apple" banter, for in the words of Jose, "HE UNDERSTANDS, HE UNDERSTANDS!"

P.S. Music-lovers, don't despair. Spanish isn't the only "language" Thomas knows. He still can't pick out a melody on the piano, but Mommy's singing ("Feed the Birds," "My Favorite Things," and various and sundry Appalachian murder ballads--yes, you know I have to stay true to my roots!) is the most sure-fire way to get the little buck-a-roo to sleep at night. Dulces suenos.