An email from Dada from last summer

Jude just slid out of bed while sleeping. He's fine. He seems to like sleeping in his own bed next to mine. He went downstairs for a drink of water and waited for me while I got a pop (woke up around 2AM, finally decided to get up). I asked him if he had any dreams. He said he dreamt about skulls. I asked him if they were scary skulls - he said no, mostly red ones, then described how they're usually white, but some are brown - usually the pretend ones are brown.

He had me start using skulls and skeletons and bones in his books instead of poopies and farties. I suppose it's just a phase. I noticed he chuckled and smiled in his sleep, no apparent bad dreams.

Walking to the park

"this is the beginning of the end"...

we approached the grassy shortcut (the open field/baseball diamond) that goes straight to the park instead of walking around the block to get there

Duh. "Front-ground."

Today I asked JJ to make a thank you card for one of the OT interns at the clinic he goes to in Bloomington. He drew some lines and circles, legs and heads, all in blue.

"What is happening in this picture?" I ask.

"That's her pushing me in the tire swing," he says with annoyance; what's wrong with my eyesight anyway?


I study the drawing. "Oh yes, I see it.   How 'bout adding some hair? Or eyes?"

"NO!"

"Well then why don't you draw in a bit of background? Some sunshine or..."

"Because! I only want to draw the frontground!"

Christmas Carols in the car

"Good Friday for you.... for you and your kid..."

"Because you're not Jewish"

is what JJ said to Auntie Carrie on Saturday, the Sabbath of all things, at Crossroads Delicatessen.

Jude had been given one of those 4 count coloring packs and a placemat to draw on with the kiddie menu, the same one you see at most restaurants these days. Jude was sort of half using them, not too interested, more interested in Aunty Carrie's pockets on her jacket.


"Can I see one of your crayons, Jude?" Aunty Carrie asked.

NO!!!

Why not? They're so pretty! Can I just see the yellow one?

NO!!!

Why not?

Because you're not Jewish.



Huh? Where'd THAT come from?

Did JJ even know we were in a Deli? No.
Does he even know he is Jewish? Well, yes, turns out.
Does he know I'm Jewish? He had to ask me.

"the sun hotted me up"—JJ Coconut Park (Jude)

(last week waiting for the bus)

"and then something familiar happened..."

Jude and I waiting for the bus today. What game are we going to play or what talk are we going to talk today, he wonders. "Do you wanna do somethin or talk somethin?"

 I decide on the story game. I begin with "Once upon a time, a red truck..."

He takes it.

I take it.

In a climatic moment he says, "and then all of a sudden something familiar happened...

                                                         ...balls of fire started falling from the sky."