Selena + Tim

Autumn in the city. Emeth and I had a doctor's appointment today. Selena and Istra took us. North of Bathurst & Wilson. We decided, gradually, to walk home.




We picked up some interesting pizza at King David's along the way. Lunch. Took it to a nearby park. Both kids zonked on the way. We didn't let it stop us. (They awoke later, still at park, both got fed: no children starved during the making of this posting.)




It was a fairly long walk. So we had to stop at another park. Swinging and sliding ensued. Happy birthday cake was baked.




From there to here, funny things sometimes appear.

This is a picture of my laptop a few nights ago. It's resurrected now---at long last---a new lease on life. I'm posting from it now. Yeeha.

Istra sings a lot these days. She has been for some time. She sings the bits she remembers from songs she's heard. And she improvises her own songs. She started making up her own songs before she learned any ready made ones. It's pretty cool. She made up one that amused me greatly the other day, but I've sadly forgotten it now. So I wanted to record what I think was her first real improvised song, before I forget it; though it will be hard to forget this one, as we still sing it not infrequently. It's a sort of anthem, even! Behold...

Istra likes sticky mud,


sticky mud, sticky mud,


Istra likes sticky mud,


sticky mud, sticky mud;


Istra likes sticky mud,


sticky mud, sticky mud;


Poor little horseys


Monkeys on it.

And, repeat.

And, repeat.

Lovely, ain't it?

We have no idea what "sticky mud" is, or where it came from. It may well be a mispronunciation of something else that we couldn't figure out. Istra was certainly into it, whatever it is.

Mommy was pretty bewildered by the last two lines of the verse. "What?!!!" I think i've allowed her to exist in her amused bewilderment all this time, thinking the collisions of images random (or otherwise inexplicable), to amuse myself. Besides that, I think the lines do have some sort of weird abstract depth to them! But I was there when the tune was forged... and I will now reveal the secret.

It was those trains she was playing with. And her short attention span. And her propensity to announce all of her observations. All preceded by her liking to modify beings with the word "poor" in front of them (which she obviously picked up from us -- but that would make the story to long to get into). There were horseys on the trains: they become, poor little horseys, for no particular reason I know. And then there was another train car with "monkeys on it", as Istra immediately observed in song. The two images seamlessly blended on top of each other, as the verses hitched up to one another. And it makes sense... it makes a lot of sense... I for one feel exactly the same way.

Poor little horseys, monkeys on it.

But let us not get mired down with this one image. Let us not forget the joyous rest:

Istra likes sticky mud, sticky mud, sticky mud!

Sing along! You know you like it too.