Overheard

I don’t want to forget any of the recent gems from Stella’s mouth – so here they are, with little context.

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On the car ride from Santa Barbara to Vegas. 9pm at night. Mommy and Grampy are exhausted from trying to soothe two little girls who are tired but not sleeping in their car seats. Louisa finally passes out after nursing in the parking lot of a Mexican cantina off the 405. Seriously folks. Stella is still awake.

“Mommy, let’s count doggies.”

Stella, it’s dark. We can’t see dogs in people’s cars. It’s too dark.

“Mommy, let’s count pretend doggies.”

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We go through a tunnel under the airport tarmac every day to work/preschool. There are two tunnels – one with northbound traffic, one with southbound traffic.

On the way home: “I’m a little tea pot short and stout… “ and she sings the rest of the song.

Stella, is that the official tunnel song?

“yes. And this morning, my handle was over here (indicating the left side of her body) so on the way home, I put my handle over here (indicating the right side).

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With the recent flooding (great, we arrive just in time for MONSOON season in Vegas) there have been police cars all over directing traffic, etc. We hardly ever saw police vehicles in Santa Barbara so the concept of “police” is new to Stella.

On the way to work: “Mommy! There is a police car. (beat) What do Police do?”

so I try to explain, saying something about keeping people safe, keeping people safe on the roads and stopping drivers that drive too fast, protecting us in our homes and in the neighborhood from some not nice people. I said, so they might take the not-nice people away so they won’t hurt anyone or not be nice.

“Oh, and then the police give them hugs so they will be good again, right?”

Um, yes, maybe the police give them hugs.

Hell, it IS a novel idea, isn’t it?