A Story

On Sunday morning I was working on the couch and Natasha offered to read me a book. She launched into the following story that I transcirbed as she talked. I sometimes interjected an encouraging "uh-huh" but she basically said all of the below in one sitting. Just FYI the book she was "reading" to me was a history of Nineteenth Century Christianity in the U.S. No pictures, just print. Also two notes on vocabulary "Free dance book" refers to a book of photographs of famous dancers that we own and sometimes look at. A caracal is a wild cat that lives in central Asia and Africa.

Do you want me to read you one of your books from your desk? ......There are lots of beautiful pictures. It's a free dance book. It's really amazing. (Natasha opens up the book) I learned about this in South America. See this, it's so incredible, you maybe might see some. It's incredibele at the end because there's a dog that is running through different kind of tubes and then it flies through outer space....Here's something you really like. It's a free dance book and it's called my first word phonics book. You might really like it. Some things are happening with the book. I'm fixing the book and making it into a different book. I'm making it into a a book about caracals. I've got caracal books that I already made today.

Flocker, running like the wind, etc.

N: I'm just going to put on my flocker. (Natasha takes an umbrella cover and puts it on her hand like a glove)

Mom: Flocker? What does that mean?

N: It's a little thing you wear in the rain if your hands get cold. I lost the other one, though. Why did I lose it?

Mom: I don't know. Why do you think you lost it?

N: I don't know anymore. I just lost it.

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Running down the sidewalk to the dojo with Mom, Dad, and friend, Julia.

N: We're running as fast as the wind!

Mom: We are? Wow, that's fast!

Dad: I can't feel the wind, maybe that's because we are running as fast as the wind.

N: Yes. I'm running that fast, are you mom?

Mom: I think so!

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Crawling into bed next to Mona who groans with sympathetic fatigue.

N: Oh, Mona. You have such a good life, little cat.

Water gopher ettiquette

Natasha runs through the front door.

N: The water gophers are not allowed inside the house.

Mom: Oh? Why is that?

N: Their feet are muddy and they'll track dirt all over the floor and it will take WEEKS to clean it up.

Mom: Good idea to keep them outside. Good call.

N: Yeah. AND... they are wild animals so they have to stay outside. Wild animals don't belong in the house.

Mom: That's right. Sounds good.

N: What's that water gohers? Oh, mom, I have to go feed them more, they're still hungry.

Natasha runs out the front door.

Sandwich version

N: Hey mom, did you know that I read that Goldilocks ate sandwiches at the three bears house?

Mom: Sandwiches? Not oatmeal?

N: No she ate all the sandwiches this time.

Mom: You must have read a different version of the story than we tell. There are lots of versions of that story.

N: Yeah, this was a different version. Sandwiches make versions of the story. Yeah.

Song and Dance

Here's Natasha performing an original work...

http://www.nijomu.com/blog/?p=142

Mona's Night Life

N: Mona works at night.

Mom: She does? What does she do?

N: She's an anthropologist. She digs up gold, looks at it and meows at night.

The Formy Argester

(9PM, Natasha fights sleep at a hotel in Sacramento)

N: Let's play The Formy Argester! Does anyone know that game?

Mom: The Formy Argester? No, I don't.

Dad: Me neither. What is it?

N: Well, you argue with a monster and then you send them to jail.

Natasha plays on her own for awhile fighting monsters, at one point she addresses a monster directly: "We'll argue with you and do the egg nog thing!.....You'll have a really good nature, though."