The sky is overcast and it's supposed to rain later today. Crickets are chirping in our room, unaware that they soon will be scorpion food. The Dickens noticed my rough, dry hands today and spent a good deal of time examining them and saying, "oweee". Of course, she also found an actual cut and obsessively picked at it until it did hurt. It's wonderful seeing her take such interest in the little, simple things that we older folk take for granted. I took her to the grocery store to get milk and coffee and she spent a lot of time examining the fountain out front and stomping up and down on a nearby grate. She also altered the landscaping a bit by decapitating some flowers. Then we spent some time exploring the fascinating world of wooden pallets. The Dickens insisted upon sitting on each one.

Speaking of hands and sitting - when Willow is unhappy in her car seat I can just reach her from the driver's seat. She seems to take comfort in clutching a finger. She can barely get her little hands around mine, but has quite a grip.

cds I listened to while trying to remember to take nothing for granted: Mariza "Fado Curvo", Present "Live!", Tin Hat Trio "Helium", Therion "Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas" and "Lepaca Kliffoth", Amebix "Make Some Fucking Noise!", and Tiny "s/t" and "demo"