"like uncut jewels, dull and rough"

jude's gum loving has gone too far. hooray for olive oil! i was anticipating a terrible first haircut (mullet?) but a teaspoon of olive oil made the glob (and the little chunks, too) slide right out of his shiny hair.



one would think we'd stop giving the kid gum but we don't. at least, i don't. i think it helps him keep his mind off of his teeth. he loves every aspect of gum, from wrapper removal, to the gradual biting of it, to the long chew, the long stretching strand, the lumpy swallow. frost knew, and we know!

besides, and after all, we've the surety of olive oil.



"why is it so cold in here?" we sniffed as we muffled our mouths and noses with mufflers. "the house is old, it's windy and frigid outside. it's winter, buck up."

upon further investigation we realized, with much groaning about the impending CIPS bill, that someone (little fingers fidgeting with the thermostat. . .) had set the thing to turn down to 50 degrees at night. we slept with hoodies, thick socks. the house refused to warm up, the water refusing to charge through the pipes.



thanks to a free moment in the midst of the insanity to discover the mischief, it feels nearly too warm this morning.

the sun is now shining as i squint to type. jude has wet hands from playing at dishes in the sink. henry is practicing his olympic somersaulting. the second brew of coffee is about to whistle on the stove. this is a week without regularly scheduled students and we're all feeling it. too bad the week is half over already.