Leslie the Librarian

Today was Toddler story time at the West Seattle Library.  I love this place. I love everything about libraries.  Why I didn't become a librarian is a mystery now that I think about it.  Now the big, bad budget crisis is affecting this place too.  Leslie says in a week or so they will know who is staying, who is being reassigned to another location, who loses a job.  And just before Christmas ..

 Reading to the 18mos to 3year olds  she used her froggy voice, her bear voice and her cricket voice to keep this perpetual motion group tuned in to the winter time story.  Bianca was held in rapt attention which bodes well for her school days.                                 

                                         
   The librarian offers a special stamp for your hand at the end of story time.  A nice little reminder of the special occasion.

               

Hope we can keep our priorities straight.  This library and its librarians offer an inviting space for children to explore, run their little hands over the books and allow reading to become a fun and ongoing interest that will serve them well.  And we need these little ones to take over someday so lets teach them well. 

Bianca was so engrossed by the puzzles on the table that I couldn't get her to look up for my picture taking.  Curious George didn't mind posing though.

Bella Luna

For Bianca Lua who loves the moon

I looked outside tonight while talking to my friend Sandra. There was a big moon out there. It reminded me that I had taken these moon pictures last year on Dec 1st from my 3rd floor window. My friend remembered the cry of Bella Luna! from the movie 'Moonstruck'. And I was reminded of Bianca loving the moon and calling out 'La Luna' when she sees it in the sky.

Exuberance



Run for fun



If you need a pick me up and a boost to your enthusiasm just spend a day with a young child to whom everything is new and wonderful.  I've been dragging myself around for about a week and it occurred to me it might be the change of season and return to standard time.  All of a sudden it is dark!  And before 5:00pm!  Non stop joy is contagious.  Hope you catch some too.



Have a thrilling experience




Enjoy Nature - little tree hugger

 



Be with someone you love

       

                                                                            












A new old toy

Bristle blocks from back in the days when Matt & Mark were little.  I had a small box of these that apparently I've chosen to take place to place with me during many moves over the years.  I had to make decisions to give or toss away many things. But here were these toys - still with me.  They were a big hit with Bianca who was never more engrossed and spent a happy day turning them into everything from airplanes to cell phones and anything interesting in between. 

Freeway Park

It's no Central Park, but it is a lovely urban park that I am lucky to have in my path uphill between the bus and work.  I used to take the stairways through but now that I'm older and wiser I love to wend my way around the switchback trail that takes me close to every waterfall,  allows me a  flashback of my hiking days and is a way to spend a tad more time in that outdoor space. 

 So I'm in that in between stage now .  I'm no longer in the younger and in a hurry crowd who bounds up the steps but I'm still some time away  from the ways of the elderly couples who gingerly toddle (funny how we go back to toddling eventualy) while hanging on to one another around the curved walkways. 

 Oh and there is the Parkour way.  I didn't take this picture but did an internet search after seeing 4-5 young men leaping from wall to wall

  while I was sitting in Freeway Park having a leisurley moment.  I was thinking please don't fall and hit the pavement at my feet!  But they made their way without a hitch.  I learned that this is an urban sport of using building walls and other urban obstacles as challenges.  Amazing.                                              

 

I'll stick with the middle way and enjoy the scenery.