Laura Ingalls and Dog Chow

My daughter and I have gone Little House on the Prairie crazy. We’ve read the first book and have watched the first two disks from the first season. In fact, we only have one more episode on the Ma disc, and then we’re moving on to the Mary disc! How exciting!

The last episode we watched was when Pa decided to take Ma on her second honeymoon. To my daughter’s enjoyment, Mr. Edwards ended up babysitting the girls. At one point, he shot a hole through the roof, lost Carrie, and served the girls snake soup for dinner. Despite his failings, my daughter, like the Ingalls girls, is quite a fan of Mr. Edwards.

This morning, she was singing “Old Man Tucker.” She only knows the tune, so she was substituting words for the song Mr. Edwards is always singing.

“I wish I knew the words, honey,” I said. “Maybe I can look them up for you.”

“Oh,” she said. “On Laura Ingalls dot com?”

At first, I cracked up, but then I ran to the computer, and sure enough, http://www.lauraingalls.com/ does exist. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I’m sure Laura Ingalls would be!

Other news, my son is successfully completing our version of toddler boot camp. With persistence, patience, and much love, the chief has been knocked down a notch. We all, including my son, are happier for it. He’s eating with utensils again, successfully finding his way to the toilet, and is spending much less time in the Time Out chair.

As usual, he keeps us laughing with his strange revelations and comments on daily life. This afternoon on our way home from preschool, he said, “Don’t worry about me, guys! I’m just soooo flusterated, okay? Don’t worry though. I’m fine.”

Book Talk: I finished and loved, loved, loved The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. It’s suspenseful and will keep you guessing until the end. I raced through it and was happy to find a wonderful twist waiting for me at the finish. This is the fourth novel by Bohjalian that I’ve read, and I’ve enjoyed them all.

This one reminds me of an early work of his, Midwives. Reading that novel was one of the first times I can recall gasping aloud at an ending. The surprise gave me the chills and forced me to get on the phone and call someone. The Double Bind offers the same and much more. I especially loved the many references to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

If you haven’t read Gatsby before, please do. Other than Pride and Prejudice and The English Patient, it’s the only novel I reread each year. Beautiful prose, memorable characters, and mostly Jay Gatsby himself are what pull me back to the story time and time again. It is a must-read, and if you intend to read The Double Bind by Bohjalian, be sure to read Gatsby first. Can’t tell you why. Just trust me.

One more thing: I’m pretty certain that nobody is reading this blog; however, the next piece of information will serve as a test. If my sister is reading, I’m certain (if I don’t hear her cackling all the way from the north side of town) that she’ll respond and make fun of me. If my parents are reading, they’ll respond and be concerned. If my friends are reading, well, depending on which friend you are, you might be concerned as well. If you’re the friend who logs onto blogger as Dick Hertzer or Don Keyballs (yes, this is an actual friend of mine that I claim with much love), you’ll probably be laughing as well.

The news: I fell in my kitchen today. I had just finished mopping the floor so it could stay clean for approximately three seconds before the dog and/or children trashed it. Just after trapping the dog and his dirty feet outside and warning the children to stay off the slippery surface, who do you think comes waltzing into the kitchen to fall on her ass? Me. Not only did I fall, but I also managed to crash into the dog food bowl and send dog chow flying as far as the couch in the living room.

Go ahead, Sister and Friends. Laugh. However, you should know that I almost cried (yes, it hurt that much), and I have a swollen hand to go along with my bruised hip and knee. I’m sure, despite the diabolical side you’re all showing right this second as you’re doubled over laughing, that you’re all deeply concerned, and I thank you for that. Calls of concern are welcome at any time.

What I’m reading: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Miles to run today: 4