As I type, a queen
wasp is circling inside the light shade. White washing dangles damp from the
clotheshorses: it has been fetched in from flails of chill wind and waning
flares of sun. Indoors, it has been warm enough to wake a high-ranking wasp.
The fire is not
even lit, because the flue is choked with wood ash.
We resorted to
electric heat to keep Little Granddaughter cozied up this morning.
She runs around the living room, condensing meaning into strings of single
words. Doggle: meaning
this in some way relates to Dog. Mow: meaning this in some way relates to Cat. Nam-ma: meaning Granma there is a job for you to
do here. Down: abandon
the coffee cup, there is important other stuff to do. Yeh-plea: what children have to say to be obeyed.
I hand her toast
in a plastic bowl. She looks at me, says phonetically:
'Szis
breakfast?'
'Yes.'
A satisfied nod:
the expected answer.
There was no dialogue to be had with the wasp.
 |
| Nam-ma! Meaning: my hands are cold, sort it out! |
She's adorable. Isn't it fun learning grandchild-speak?
ReplyDelete'I hand her toast in a plastic bowl. She looks at me, says phonetically:
ReplyDelete'Szis breakfast?'
'Yes.'
A satisfied nod: the expected answer.'
My heart is full, Lily.
My daughter sat on my lap as I read this and, referring to the beautiful first image of your granddaughter, commented that she looks like one of her cousins, 'in the hair, but not so much the space between the eyes.'
:)
Lily, I love this nascent lexicon of toddler terms. My wife, Norma, is called "Gamma Namma" by our grandchildren --which sounds like a title from a '50s Toho Studios monster film. I am called various things which, so far as I can tell, all mean "that which must be climbed". Have fun with this delightful time!
ReplyDeleteChildren are brilliant. The real secret of my success is that a large part of my brain seems to be about 5 years of age. When the Littles talk like this, it makes total sense; their language is so inventively pragmatic. They see things like the difference of eye spacing even though hair is similar, understand things like how Grandads function as climbing frames. Total joy!
ReplyDelete