Letters to Holly

Wednesday, March 20

Visitors from Afar

A contingent of Danish students and teachers are in town for the fortnight. We hosted the teachers, Inge and Sophie, last week for a dinner. It went right nice. They cooed over Your Nephew something fierce, and he behaved himself very well. They got to see each stage of his entire post-daycare routine, and he hugged them goodbye.

We made a quasi-Thanksgiving  dinner for them: turkey tenderloin, sweet potatoes, and a dressing with cranberries. They loved it. We offered them ciders after we heard one of them was a big fan. Your Sister wanted to make a toast and tried a willkommen. They greeted it with polite smiles. I suggested skoal, and they brightened at that.

They had each been in America before with other student groups, but this was their first time in this area. They had plans for the big tourist spots, and we traded notes on child-rearing. They liked his nursery, and we swapped shopping tips from Target and Ikea. (I've never seen an Ikea.) They were curious about the types of daycare available in the states, and were surprised to hear of the new trend in "sick daycare" where a certified nurse watches sick children when they can't go to daycare.

I told them about our reading plans for him, and they gave deep, happy sighs to the mention of the Little House series. We already have the books in his room. Your Sister will read those to him, and I'll try Harry Potter. I really hope he picks up Encyclopedia Brown. I loved those. Whenever I'm in Barnes & Noble, I confirm they still stock the books.

She and I took turns with his bedtime routine. I suppose she talked teaching styles with them. I mentioned our school trips to Europe. Occasionally, the younger teacher would ask for English words like braid and commute.They took a phone call during the dinner, and I got to hear them talk in their native language for a good ten minutes. It sounded elvish, and, looking at the Tolkein movies, you can see how the Danes may have been incorporated.

I walked them back to the house where they stayed in our neighborhood, and they were worried about bear attacks. I tried to say it was very unlikely so close to town. I think we've had one bear sighting in city limits in the past 10 years. It's far more likely to walk past a deer at night.

We're still open to hosting exchange students when the deputy is older.  We'll let him have a half-vote on the matter. Just to be nice.

We still haven't cracked on one of the dried-food buckets. We might do that during Your Sister's spring break. I was hoping to start my 40-year-old specialist tests with our doctor that week, but she's out of town. I'll have to wait until summer so the deputy can stay at home for my appointment.

Picture of the Day
I seek my people in the stars. SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE HORSEY!