Jews are like bats... who knew?

On the way to BareBones last Saturday...

"Mama, how do you know you are Jewish?"

"Well... you are born Jewish. If your mother is Jewish, you are. I am Jewish because my mom is. You are Jewish because I am. Noah is Jewish because his mom is. Dada isn't Jewish, but you are because I am. Technically anyway..."

"Oh."

"Now, we're not really practicing Jews, per se..."

"What's pactising Jews?"

"Well... like, you know, our friends L and J in St Louis Park?"

Yeah?

You know how they do Shabbat every Friday? Which is why they couldn't come Trick or Treating with us this year?

Yeah.

"Well... " So I explain how Shabbat is a time of rest. I focus on the rest. The time to be together and rest. Not to work or do, but just to rest. "They rest from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday," I remind him, adding they don't use electricity or drive or anything. I wonder if he will want to start doing this. I ponder it now and then. "You know?"

"So, they're like bats," Jude concludes.

Bats?

Yeah. They rest all day and come out out at night.

I guess I'll have to work on my explanation of our religion. Though I can't deny how much I delighted in thinking and imagining my dear friends as bats hanging upside down in their beautiful home.

I don't want to be a grown up

Why not, Jude?
How will I know how to do anything...?
Honey, you have years to figure it out. You'll learn. People will teach you. Day by day...
But how will I know how to do things?
Like what?
Like get a credit card.

on the phone at Dada's Friday night

The usual call from Mama needing to know exactly what is going on over at The Red House. I have no boundaries. I can't help it. Even though I know exactly what is going on, I have to call.

Hi honey, how are you?
Good.
What are you doing?
Playing Super Mario something or other I don't understand.
Is it fun?
Yes.
That's good. Make sure and also go outside.
I know.
How was school?
Good.
Did you have pictures taken?
No.
Okay. Was school fun?
Yes.
What did you learn?
I don't know. Dada! Here...
Dada tells Jude to turn off the video game and talk to Mama.

Time to end the call.

"I miss you, honey. I know it's only been two days, but it feels like a long time..."

"It doesn't feel like a long time to me."

at the bus stop this morning

Mama?  Do you sometimes take the alley back home after I get picked up by the bus?

We usually walk down the street to the bus stop, but when we have trash or recycling, we go the alley. I usually walk back home on the street and wave at the bus when it goes by, but sometimes I take the alley because I don't want to run into people on the sidewalk or deal with street noise, etc, that early in the morning.

Sometimes I do, honey.

Why?

Oh, I don't know...  It's—

It's quicker?

Well, no, it's not quicker... it's quieter...

Oh. Why else do you take the alley?

Well... sometimes I just want a different route. Or sometimes I like to walk around the block.... something different. It's a nice time to take a walk.

Which way are you going to walk today?  he asks.

I consider maybe that Jude would prefer the consistency of me waving to him and the bus when it goes by.

Which do you prefer I take, honey? When I wave I can't really see you, but I just wave knowing you'll see me.

I can see you, Jude says.

So would you prefer I walk down the street and wave, honey?

You could take the alley, he says.

In Lunds way too late on Saturday night

Tired, wet, hungry, caught in the thunderstorm at Ren Fest.

Mama wants candy. First potty breaks. Our friend Debmama grabs a cart, as though we will be here a while. We are all exasperated.

"Where the heck is the candy aisle?" i ask after several loops around Lunds.

"Why don't you look it up on your cell phone?"

cops

Noticing a flashing cop car parked in front of the lamp shop across the street, "What's he doing there?"

"I'm not sure honey... maybe looking at lamps."




"Mama, he's still there. Why's he still there?"
"Hmmmmm.... not sure honey. Maybe he went to get a coffee...? Police like coffee..."

"Wouldn't it be funny if a police car will come by and tow the police car?"

zombie season

Returning to one of his favorite topics, along with a growing interest in "what animals we come back as" when we die...  We are driving during this one.

"Mama, zombies are real you know."

"So you say, honey."

"Yeah. Dada has seen one and so has Noah."

He remembers everything the elders say about zombies, no matter how metaphorical, like the zombies Dada talks about where he works. The ones who work in the basement or the laboratory.

"I think zombies are stuck. People who are stuck after they die because they don't know what kind of animal to be next. So they're stuck dead."  I'm paraphrasing. He likely said it much better, but that was the idea.

My son, the shaman.