Wednesday, July 26, 2006

It's 10:29 AM

And I am still in my nightgown.

The kids are constructing major thoroughfares on the Turkish rug in the living room. They are putting their 'Ben Ten' action figure monsters in the handmade miniature rowboats my dad made for them for Christmas a couple of years ago and are sailing them under railroad bridges and around the monster bunny who threatens to eat all the wooden tracks.

It is hot out.

Yesterday, we got a package in the mail from Newfoundland. It contained 3 skulls: A fox, an otter and a snowshoe hare. And a letter from my father, in his beautiful hand, describing the difference between the teeth and jaw articulation of a carnivore and that of an herbivore. The kids examined the teeth, the jaws, the brain cases of the skulls. They listened as I read the letter and declared that it was good enough to be in a book. We wondered, given our own tooth structure and jaw formation, whether humans are carnivores or herbivores. Or maybe nut and seed eaters.

Which was what I had for breakfast today:

plain yoghurt, a nectarine and a handful of trail mix. Just the right start to this little adventure called life.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Sweet. er the skulls made it through the mail from Newfoundland? Man the kids must have loved it.

Rachel Nguyen said...

Yup. Dad packed them in bubble wrap and put them in a very thick cardboard box. Last time it was a box of teeth: moose, beaver, horse, etc. The time before that an eagle feather he found on the beach.

It is hard having them so far away, but the little boxes of stuff are very cool.

Susannah said...

What an amazing science project your Dad sent to your children! Now that's love! And I gather your "way with words" comes from him.

BTW, I think humans are omnivors... back teeth for grinding plant foods, front canines for tearing meat. Miss Frizzle anyone?