12/23/2005 - Cheerier things

Blogtender, a cheerier post if you please.

Very well. As I pitch my tent tonight, on the road to St. Johnsville (NY Route 67), I sit myself down with a 35 pound boy on one knee and 3 books on the other. Tonight, for the first time in some time, I attempted to read, for my eldest, a book that has many words per page and very few pictures. We read, in this order,

• The first chapter of "The Marvelous land of Oz"
• The first chapter of "Freddy goes Camping"
• The first chapter of "Mary Poppins"

My eldest sat enrapt as pumpkins came to life, pigs wrote poetry and ladies slid up banisters (I'm praying he doesn't try the last). This has to be the first time that story alone has held his attention so well. I foresee many blustery nights spent reading with him in the near future...

17,000 fatherly steps today. Cheers,