Snow day

Sometimes it is hard to appreciate forward movement. We are still so used to Cheshire's childhood – a child who didn't need to learn to take turns, to understand numbers, or to live in a family. For a bit more than a month now, we have been playing games with Julia. We have been playing stripped down versions of Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, and Connect Four. We do it to learn about taking turns so there is no competition and usually no winner. Or rather, not no winner, but we all win when we finish. For Candyland we use one piece and all advance it during our turns. Julia has gotten very compliant about taking turns, and so it was time last night to move on. Last evening, we played Connect Four by taking turns asking each other to put a specific number of red or black checkers into the board. It took awhile – read that, most of the game – for Julia to get it but by the end of the game, she was doing it. However, what she did do was to take her turn and wait while we took ours – something that she had trouble doing just a few weeks ago.

Julia does not understand numbers. She will count and we count everything ,everywhere, but there is a gap between counting and knowing what the number we count up to means. Julia who can imagine lots of things – princesses, dinosaurs, living clay figures, lots of stories imagined – cannot understand the concept of numbers. I am looking for more ways to “explain” this concept. I cannot imagine a world without numbers. It more than stretches my imagination.

Tonight we had a sushi role at the beginning of our meal. I made Julia count out 2 for each of us and later give out the remaining 3 – one for each of us. We had home made lo mien for supper tonight. I was not so pleased with the taste -- rather bland -- but Julia loved it. She told me it was delicious and tasty, and I got lots of thanks. Maybe I should attempt more Chinese home cooking.

Yesterday, we had a warm day – up to 40 which felt great. Sidewalks and streets cleared of the last snow, and I cleaned up in the garage a little bit. Very pleasant! Today?? Well, today the schools were closed in Madison because of wind chill. Julia and I got dressed up and walked the dog around the block. By the time we were done, both of our faces hurt and Julia's sweet red cheeks took a long time to return to their normal color.

Okay, I did say this before we moved here, but we are never moving further north.

And it did snow last night, but it was a real dusting and it was too cold to do anything about it today.