You've Got Mail

One of my greatest pleasures on recent business trips is the exchange of e-mail with Doodle. Last week before I left for a trip, Doodle told me that a camp counselor had told her fortune but no matter how much I coaxed she wouldn't tell me (although she was more than willing to share her friend's fortune). Early this week she shared the fortune in an e-mail that brought a smile to my face: "i get married at 30 and i have a girl and don't break many bones and i go on adventures with my husband." Are all kids her age so lazy that they can't capitalize I. I know she knows to do it; grammar and spelling are among her best subjects.

Tea Time

After a long hard day of skating and biking

Imagine

Tootle doesn't start day camp until next week and most of her friends seem to be out of town this week so she has had a lot of down time. She could be spending her day watching TV and on the computer, within limits of course, but she has opted to spin a long, complicated story involving her Littlest Pet Shop characters and American Idol (a show she has never seen since it's on after her bedtime). Yesterday she sat on the floor for three hours straight making this story unfold. As I eavesdropped, it appeared that several of the singers were having trouble with their vocal coach. My favorite part isn't that the character named Archuleta wins (Doodle liked that part) but the names for some of the other "singers": Vanilla (bubblegum music, maybe?), Marshmallow, and Skin Brownie (sounds like a rapper to me).

Walking the Cat

Doodle desperately wants a dog. She has found a way around my argument that I am allergic to dogs by doing her homework/Web research about hypoallergenic dogs. She has determined that a Bichon Frise would be a good fit for our family. I really don't want to get a dog for another year or two (I want her to be responsible enough/old enough to help care for it) but the sheer cuteness of these little fluff balls is hard to resist. Still I am holding firm for now. As an alternative, Doodle has decided to try to turn her cat into a dog by taking her for walks. Opal has been an indoor cat for 12 years but Doodle has decided to expose her to the great outdoors on a leash. Doodle was a bit surprised to learn that Opal won't simply walk up the street, preferring instead to amble into the hydrangeas and other bushes. In their two outings thus far, they haven't made it out of the yard, and I'd prefer that it stays that way. Opal seems to enjoy her time outside, and Doodle hasn't been quite as insistent in pleading for a dog, so perhaps this is a good solution for now. Bark, Opal.

P.S. Doodle took the closeup shot of Opal.

Sisters on a Lazy Summer Sunday

Independence Day

We had a low key holiday. Doodle strained her hamstring muscle last night so we took it easy. Tootle enjoyed decorating her bike, and then riding through the neighborhood. Later we all went to the pool, where Doodle collected more than $2 in the coin toss and I dissuaded either of the girls from catching the goldfish that were released into the pool. I'm still amazed that they listened to me; all of their friends were scooping the fish up big time. Some families were going home with 30-plus fish. I thought enough people had complained about this cruel activity, but apparently not. The two fish that the girls brought home last year live on, but we don't need any more.

We skipped tonight's fireworks because of Doodle's injury and iffy weather. Fortunately we saw fireworks twice this week so no one was too disappointed.

Fireworks Prelude

By checking out the state fire marshal's web site, I discovered that we can see fireworks practically every night this week. Tonight we watched a local country club's fireworks from the lawn of the library. It was a beautiful night to catch fireflies, enjoy cool treats from the enterprising ice cream truck, and talk with friends and neighbors who also decided to come out for the show. Tootle sat on my lap and shrieked "that's the highest one yet" over and over again. She went to bed 2.5 hours after her usual bedtime and she is utterly incapable of sleeping in, so she is likely to be mighty tired in the morning. Hopefully she'll get more rest over the next few days so that she can enjoy Friday night's extravaganza with our China Moms group.