Queen of Vanilla
On Monday, Dusty & I dropped Red off at her new daycare center. Where she cried, naturally. But, since she actually took a nap, I consider the transition a success. Plus, her lead teacher�s a vegetarian so she gets it. I can�t tell you how nice it is, surrounded by beef eaters as I generally am, to have a caregiver understand what my child should and should not be eating. Whew!
Dusty & I then headed for Target for school supplies. She got a Dora backpack and a Hello Kitty pillow (�I don�t know why I love Hello Kitty so much!� she exclaimed) along with glue and markers and green glittery scissors. We used some gift cards at Barnes & Noble to get a couple of Critter books (by Mercer Mayer), The Aristocats on DVD, and moi? I snuck in a Bowie CD (Lodger). Couldn�t help myself. We got her Hello Kitty tennis shoes and some non-whore clothes as well. God, it�s so hard to find appropriate clothing for girls these days with the dreadful Bratz influence that pervades the clothing industry. What is the deal? I mean, we�ve always joked that if we get poor enough the kids can stand at the street corner and sell pencils or lemonade but looking at the clothing choices for young children, what they�re selling might get misconstrued.
On Wednesday, we saw March of the Penguins. Dusty was concerned, beforehand, that she wouldn�t like it because it �wasn�t a story,� meaning, fiction. But, we both enjoyed it, especially watching the little fat �plumpkin� baby penguins waddling around and peeking out from their parents belly flap. We had a bad moment during the previews when the Harry Potter trailer scared Dusty so bad we had to leave the theatre until it was over. She then had a series of bad HP dreams during the next couple days that involved HP stabbing Red with a sword. �Is Harry Potter bad?� �No, he�s the good guy.� �Oh. He was bad in my dream.� Thanks Hollywood. Thanks a fucking lot!
On Friday, Red�s daycare was closed for a teacher prep day so we all went to the park. We ate lunch under an oak tree and Red enjoyed walking off further and further away from me, testing just how far the invisible umbilical cord would stretch before she�d either come running back or I�d go fetch her back. She gets funnier and more adorable (and more stubborn) every day. Both girls love being outside so much that I�ve decided to spend money I don�t have to get them a swing set for Xmas. Lowe�s has this which comes closest to what I�m looking for both in terms of affordability and simplicity. Plus, they�ll not only deliver it but construct it. Dusty loves to swing and her new preschool has none so I figure this might be a doable compromise, seeing as how we can�t just walk to a park like we could if we lived in the city. Later that evening, we inherited my mother�s old couch. Dusty was thrilled to see her grandma, aunt and uncle � even for a short time � when they delivered it.
On Sunday, we had dinner at my dad�s and Dusty got to hang out with her other aunts. They took her upstairs after dinner and put together a Disney puzzle with her. Hilariously, knowing my feelings about Disney, they tried to hide this from me when I went upstairs to check on things. I assured them it was fine. I�m not *that* controlling. Really. Earlier in the day, as we enjoyed the absolutely perfect pre-fall weather, Dusty made cakes in the sand box.
�Pretend everything you ate was vanilla,� she said to me, �Everything you liked was vanilla. Pretend you were the queen of vanilla. We are the birds of vanilla!�
This Monday, an old friend and her new husband came to house for lunch. It was so nice to not only have like-minded folks over for a leisurely meal and chat but it was great to see my friend who�s been MIA for almost five years. I�m so glad she�s back in town and I�ll have another friend close by. It gets lonely in the peaceful valley sometimes. I still remember the first day I met her in second grade. Her mother brought her in during story time. She was wearing a pink pantsuit and her long blonde hair was pulled up in two ponytails high on her head. We became inseparable that year. It was the first and last time I ever had �talks too much� written on my report card.
Whew � it usually isn�t this action-packed and now we�re all adjusting to our new schedules with preschool and work and daycare routines being ironed out. Dusty is looking forward to all that fall brings: Halloween, her fifth birthday, and Christmas. I am just crossing my fingers that the final months of 2005 aren�t filled with sickness and disease. I�m kidding myself, aren�t I? Don�t you think the Queen of Vanilla should get a break? I do.
