Visitors, Grabby Gus and a Clean House

The last week has been a busy one. The girls' first tap class was a success, and they found out that they are going to be part of the junior kick line, which is tough work and requires them to do a Rockettes-type routine for the recital. I have to get Margaret a new pair of tap shoes since she grew out of the ones she used last year. I had a spare pair for Patricia in the next size up and was able to sell the pair I bought for her just days before the recital last June. She wore them all of five times. The same is true for the jazz sneakers, although both girls got a whole year out of them. Patricia couldn't wear her old ones at all this year; Margaret will be able to last a while yet. My jazz class was Friday night and it was good to get back into the swing of things. I didn't realize, however, how badly out of shape I am. I took comfort in knowing so is everyone else in my class!

Saturday, Jack took the girls up to the lake to give me an entire day unencumbered to clean the house. We had company coming for dinner and I really wanted to go through at least the downstairs to pick it up. The couple and their daughter responsible for my starting a blog were in town from their home in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Jack Weinstein is a professor of philosophy at the university there; his wife, Kim, is also a professor, of English. Their daughter, Adina, an almost-two-year-old, is the subject of their blog. Jack is an alum of Plattsburgh State and was invited back as a visiting professor for two weeks. Kim and Adina were able to join them for a long weekend. Well, I'd been reading their blog for months and we connected online. When I learned several months ago that they were coming to Plattsburgh, we made certain to plan a get-together so we could all meet in the flesh, so to speak. I had had lunch with Jack a day earlier, before he went to Montreal to pick up Kim and Adina at the airport. He brought them to my office on Friday so I could meet them, finally. I gave Adina a copy of "Many Moons," one of our favorite books by James Thurber, and because she's a fan of "Singing in the Rain" and of dancing, I found a pair of toddler size 7 tap shoes and gave them to her. She was delighted and danced on the stage of Giltz Auditorium. The Weinsteins then came over for dinner on Saturday and we had a wonderful visit. It felt like we had known them all along, and they said the same. Adina is a delight, and Patricia and Margaret enjoyed keeping an eye on her and playing with both Adina and Brigid. Brigid just kind of watched her, but they seemed to get along just fine.

Kim and Adina returned to Grand Forks on Monday, and they came by my office for a final farewell. Meanwhile, Jack was staying on for a few more days and had a public lecture Tuesday night that I was able to attend. It was amazing -- on citizenship, the Constitution and educating the citizens on their rights and responsibilities.

Meanwhile, Brigid has entered a troublesome stage where everything is fair game and everything is hers. She goes from place to place, reaching up, trying to pull things down. We're forever chasing after her, moving her from harm's way, moving things from her reach, fencing off areas to keep her out and keep her safe. She's always on the go. She didn't take a nap today, so that meant for a cranky afternoon and evening. The girls had their tap class tonight and when we got home, she was out in a few minutes.

We haven't had any more successes on the potty, but she asks for it and stands on it and plays with it all the time. At least she knows where it is for the day she says,"Potty potty potty" for real. She does know, as she has for a long time, when her diaper needs changing, so that's something, anyway.

I have to apologize for not having any photos to post in a long time. I had lost the cable to the camera and finally found it the other day, so I promise to post some of the photos I've taken recently.