Sharp as a Wheel
Yesterday, I was spending time with some of my favorite people under the age of 10 (Morgan and Molly, you are of course, my favorites), and I was reminded why children are a fabulous part of this world: my friend Michael, with his limited vocabulary, spent 20 minutes directing his 6mo old yellow lab to get into her kennel. As he is still somewhat skeptical of this animal, he would follow the dog around the house, staying about 5 feet away. With one little finger pointed at the kennel, he would demand, "This way! THIS WAY!!!!" (only recently have these become two distinct words - it used to be "thissay")
When the dog refused to obey, but skirted away from him, staying close to the wall and the couch, Michael finally went for the tail and tried to get her in backwards, still calling, "This way!"
I had finally convinced him to engage the dog in a little game with a slimy ball, when his mother walked up to whisper something in my ear. She and her older daughter had been in the kitchen, working on homework, when Kate needed to sharpen her pencil. She went to the sharpener, whizzed her pencil to a fine point, and said proudly, "Ah, pencil, I love you. Nice and sharp. Sharp as a wheel."
So there I am, on the floor with a dog I think may have fleas (or at the very least, leaves mysterious bumps on my skin), wearing a shirt with someone else’s boogers on it, in an absolute moment of joy.
-l
