Songs of the season

Bernadette has unleashed a torrent of language in recent weeks. She chats and cajoles and sings and tells stories. She's able to say anything she wants, although sometimes the words come out in pidgin form, either truncated or with extra syllables added. Still, if you listen closely and pick out a word, suddenly the whole phrase makes sense. I'm convinced she knows just about everything she's saying, even when we don't.

She's also able to sing just about any song she hears, and she's a vocal duet partner with Isaiah. "Puff the magic dragon" is quite popular right now. In the car last night, the two of them were singing "Jingle bells," when Isaiah segued to a mashup of the two, singing "Jingle bells" as the chorus with verses he made up sung to the tune of "Puff." Bernadette, unable to join the improvised verses, would periodically throw in another chorus over the top of the verse.

"Way out west in Kansas"
Performed by  International Novelty Orchestra. Composed by Carson Robison. Conducted by Nathaniel Shilkret. Tenor vocal: Ed Smalle , Billy Murray.

Recorded 1924-08-25 in New York, N.Y.

Folks don't stay up very late
Way out west in Kansas
They talk the sidewalks in at 8
Way out west in Kansas ...

Composition

Daniel and Isaiah play at Pete and Magda's apartment.

Activities of note

At breakfast this morning, a certain young man in our house (no, not me) tried to shove a Cheerio in his right ear. When I called him on it, he started faking towards that ear every other bite.

Isaiah's current favorite songs to sing: ABC song and "Big Green Tractor," which he sings when he's bored in the car or sleepy.

Yesterday in New York, we walked past the subway station next to the Natural History Museum. Isaiah leaned toward it and said, "Saturday, ride the train." We have never entered the subway at that station. It has a sign that says "subway," stairs leading down, the route letter signs and the light globe. From those clues (he definitely didn't see or hear one of the trains), he knew we could get on there. Amazing.

Peter Tascio, guitar hero

This is a shot of PT playing near the Throgs Neck Bridge earlier this summer. He and the cellist he plays with (lots of Beatles) have a great sound.