Preschool was on break this week as the mommies packed for their bachelorette bash in Santa Fe. However, we still got to put our OmaOpa skills into play.
First, I frolicked with the Little E’s while their mommy shopped. After several variations on “hiding from the bad guy”, “mom and kid” (always a fave), and a bit of playdoh at the table, I suggested a walk. November in the northwest has been exquisite, and this Oma needed some air.
Outside, Mr. Mo and I trailed behind Miss Nomi as she led us hither and yon, demanding that we whisper and carry sticks. We were going on a bear hunt.
Me (In my most dramatic voice): Are we going to catch a big one?
Miss Nomi: No. A little one.
Me (Deflated, but playing along): Oh.
Traipsing through swishy-swashy leaves, stumbling over fallen logs, hoisting Mr. Mo back to his feet, and whispering loud enough to frighten any little bears, I kept up with the hunt until – at last – we happened upon a lone cedar tree.
Miss Nomi: Shhhh! Here’s where the bear lives.
Me: Did we catch him?
Miss Nomi: Yes. Now we will have him for dinner.
Me: Ok!
Miss Nomi: But, how do we?
At this point I thought: You’re an E. You know how this works, right? Somebody shoots the bear, guts it with a huge knife, skins it, carves it into chunks, cooks it over a fire, and everybody gets a bite.
Out loud I said, “Well. You’ll have to cut the little bear…”
Miss Nomi: Just for pretend.
Me: Right! Let’s just pretend we’re having the bear for dinner. Or, let’s just invite the bear inside for lunch and fix him a turkey sandwich!
In the end, we left the little bear outside and drove my car to the zoo instead. Whew.
The Bear Hunt theme continued to the next day with the other tot, who had spent the night. Opa and I decided on an outing to Jackson Park so Miss Em, a.k.a. the “energizer bunny”, could “run and jump!” through wide-open spaces. She did.
Beyond those wide-open spaces lay pint-sized railroad tracks for the little steamer train. Discovering the novelty of walking the tracks, Miss Em led us deeper and deeper into the woods.
Miss Em: We’re hunting bears.
Me (Hoping for a big one this time): Okay! Where’s the bear? Do you see one?
At that precise moment Opa whistled his trademark “signal whistle”, which is a kind of “hoo-HOO, hoo-HOO,” stopping the little bear hunter in her tracks right there on the tracks.
Me: (Dramatic question): What was that?
Miss Em (Dramatic gasp): It’s Opa!
Yep, she’s no dummy, that wee bunny. We did not speak of shooting, carving, cooking or eating this bear.
However, we did invite him home for lunch.
