This is Sammy’s favorite Camus story. She’ll say “Mommy, talk about the teeny little salsa cat?” And I tell it something like this: One day, when Camus was a teeny little kitten, Mommy and Daddy left a big bowl of spicy salsa out on the dining room table. And little Camus jumped up on to the table all by himself, and …

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heartbreaking conversations this week: Me (dropping something fragile in the kitchen): Ah! Oh no! Sam (rushing into the room): Mommy! What did Camus do? Me (dumbstruck for a moment) Me: (realizing the number of times Sam has witnessed me discover an errant feline emission somewhere in the house): Camus did nothing, …

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Yesterday, when we all got in the car to take Camus to the vet, I insisted that his carrier sit on my lap in the passenger seat. Just as when I first laid eyes on him about 12 and half years ago. It was a rainy day, just like yesterday. AC had driven me to a strange house on the other side of town. I stayed in the car …

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Sam (drawing on paper with magic markers): I’m drawing a picture of Mommy. Me: Oh yeah? What am I doing in the picture? Sam: You’re in the crib. Me: Really? I don’t think I’ve ever been in your crib… although I’ve thought about it. Sam: I’ve thought about it too.

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Chiasmus is probably my favorite rhetorical device. JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” is a well-known one. I also like “Never let a fool kiss you, or a kiss fool you,” which is also the title of Mardy Grothe’s book on chiasmus. A chiasmus is “a reversal in the order …

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Yesterday, Sam, Grand-mère, and I went into the city to have lunch with AC. We rode BART as usual, starting out on the Fremont line and then changing at MacArthur to a train heading into the city. We got off at the Embarcadero stop and before we exited, I wanted to see what time it was. I haven’t worn a watch since …

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This is how Mommy sets the table for dinner: This is how Sammy sets the table for dinner: This is typical conversation over the dinner table:

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Sam is really big into making connections between her life and the books we read, as well as between books. It’s really exciting. For example, this morning, Grand-mère was reading Choo Choo (by Virginia Lee Burton) to Sam, and when they got to the part where the train escapes, Sam exclaimed: “Just like Camus does!” I …

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Sam: “The wheels on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down…” Mom: [mock indignation] “Up and down?! No they don’t. They go round and round.” Sam: [hysterical laughter]. ***** Sam: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the … ceiling!” ***** …

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It’s an amazing thing when your two-year old tells you, completely unprompted, that she loves you. Last Sunday, outside during a picnic lunch… Sam: “I love you, Daddy!” Dad and Mom: “Aw!” Dad: “I love you, Sammy.” Sam: “I love you, Mommy!” Mom tears up. Sam: “And somebody else.” Mom and Dad: “Who?!” Sam grins. Two …

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