Bits and Pieces of Our Days (and Ramona is making videos)

I've been getting organized around here. Cleaning up paperwork, clearing away clutter. Yesterday, I breathed a satisfied sigh of relief and told Anne that, "I just think better when all the paperwork is organized and things aren't so cluttered."

"Really?" she replied. (Clearly, Anne is of the This Mess in My Room is Actually Organized by an Intricate System in My Head school.)

"Yes!" I said, sensing an opportunity to evangelize on the joys of filing. "It just ... oh, what? ... It just helps." (Clearly, getting organized does not, however, make me more articulate.)

"I know what you mean," said Ramona.  "There's isn't as much to think about. There's less fog."

Clearly.

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I would rather wear this than anything designed by this guy.  Now you know my fashion philosophy (obviously influenced by a love of history.) 

I have more to say, but one of the curses of being both a blogger and a Christian is that I often bite my tongue (or slap my fingers off the keyboard) and I don't allow myself to be nearly as funny as I could be. If I didn't worry about being callous and ugly, I think I could really be funny. But I do worry. So I'm not that funny.

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We are having a terrific thunderstorm here. It makes me want to bake cookies and pumpkin bread and build a fire and read something pioneer-y with the kids.  I know! We'll read about the history of shoes.

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We all signed up for the library's summer reading program. In general, I've always steered clear of things that offer rewards for reading. We breathe, therefore we read. But a few years back I signed the kids up because, hey, who doesn't want a free book and some ice cream just for doing what we do anyway? Why not teach the kids a little vocabulary -- can you say mercenary? And this year, there's a drawing for an iPod Touch.  (Kind of a funny incentive for a reading program, but we'll take it.)

Betsy finished her reading record in, oh, something like a day and a half (no, not really, but she's voracious.) But she has to wait, according to program regulations, to turn the record in until something like June 14th. I suppose they have to stem the tide of cheaters and hold them off on claiming prizes until a reasonable period of time has elapsed.  But, honestly ... who wants to be reasonable when it comes to books and pacing??

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Ramona has been making videos. In one of them, she says this:

"Everybody has pets. Unless they are allergic to animals, which would be really sad.

"Anyway, everyone has stories to share. Everyone has feelings. Everyone has stories to share that help with other ones' feelings.

"So when I hear my dog start barking, I know she has feelings. Sad feelings, happy feelings, glad feelings, embarrassed feelings, scared feelings, excited feelings ... feelings that she's never felt before ... feelings for another dog ... [imagine giggle here, then a return to seriousness] ... I tell her stories that will help."

I think my Ramona is a little writer in the making. Isn't that what writing is about?

Telling stories that help.