Thanksgiving, Wren & his games, National Day of Listening by Granny

Seattle is a the city famous for its coffee. There are hundreds of coffee shops - mostly with WiFi and delicious pastries. Many boast special soups to warm you during this long cold winter.

The Early Hours
When Wren wakes its not later than 6am and thoroughly dark. His bedroom is above mine and I hear his every word as he wakes up and calls tragically. So Shannon and I are up and entertaining him while the rest of the house sleeps. Four favourite games come to mind and we play them all each day. First is ANIMALS - he has a box of wonderfully realistic plastic animals and many larger stuffed ones. Arranging these into farms, zoos and lines is compulsively entertaining for him. Then we have the DIGGERS. Wren is very ordered, he loves to clean up before the next game. Diggers are lined up, discussed: "back hoe, digger, concrete mixer, garbage truck, tip-up truck...." Next it might be LEGO (duplo) and the current game there is to make a garage for the Lego cars that park, emerge and re-park regularly to running commentary. Lastly, we have the TRAINS: the making of the track is the event rather than watching the trains move around. So by 9am, we have done all this and Shannon and I are longing for a strong coffee.

Day of Listening
Wren is a very happy, good natured child with a bright smile. Like Frost he loves language and listens intently, repeating anything we say, using words in the charming way that 2 year olds have.

This reminds me that the day after Thanksgiving, Friday 28th, is a new holiday in the USA:

StoryCorps is declaring November 28, 2008 the first annual National Day of Listening.

This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year. To get started, download our free Do-It-Yourself Guide.

This has made me remember my father, Mervyn Smithyman, Wren's great grandfather, who died this past July at the age of 97. For many years I recorded the story of his life - in his words. It has been such a worth while thing to do for all of his family. Frost has become interested in family stories, he loves to hear about "when Shannon was a kid" and about our life in Africa.

Tea Parties

Wren's latest entertainment is to have a "tea party". He has taken to having a very weak milky tea with a little sugar and a cookie at the table with us. It is even better in his estimation if I then read to him his favourite book, Dr. Seuss's "Foot Book". Within the book, his favourite page is the one with the little creature in bed with sore feet, wrapped in white tape, looking miserable. This interests Wren greatly.

His comments are:

"in bed, hospital, sad, .......owie, .....getting better, OK?" often with a sweet kiss to the creature....

Tommorrow is thanksgiving and Wren has woken with a low fever, so the plans are all in the air. His health takes precedence and we may have a stay-at-home event. Whatever happens, we have much to be thankful for.....