Dreaming

Thanks to brainylady alison I have been searching the net for vintage airstream trailers (there is one available right here in River City, but I know if I go to see it we'll have trouble with a capital T!) and fantasizing about being the Bookmobile Lady. Actually, in my dreams the mobiles have MUSIC and ART as well as books, all the stuff the schools seem to be cutting out of the budgets. Don't get me started on this unless you have a couple of MONTHS to hear me whine about my quest to introduce children of all ages to MUSIC and ART and LITERATURE...sigh. Yesterday I picked up the Boy Bird and we three went wandering in the Mommymobile. First day out after a week of cabin fever...everything looked new and amazing. The Boy has become a Man and mama bird is about to fall off her perch from proudness. (I know, I know, making up words again, but really, haven't you ever seen birds when they PUFF themselves up so big and fluffy they look like they are going to keel right over? C'est moi.) We drove by Latham (wink and wave) to check the road conditions and then on to the Mall to see our Friends. Visited the cookie lady at the bakery, the dough tossers and cheese graters at the pizza place, watched in fascination, as we always do, as the man Who Cleans the Escalators did his impeccable job, oblivious to the zillion sticky fingers about to undo it all. We asked him about this once. He grinned a HUGE brilliant smile and said proudly "I always got me a job long as folks gots fingers." He's from Ethiopia. Has an advanced degree. Speaks like that to put the locals at ease. OMG. The things you can learn at the Mall. We are always befriending the Invisible People. The ones who Make Things Work. Sometimes we go really early in the morning to watch the huge bucket trucks drive into the mall and there is a guy who goes WAAAAY up high and changes all of the lightbulbs in the mall BEFORE they burn out. Did you know they use different colors in different places? Neither did we until we asked. This all started when Boy bird was little and was terrified of escalators. It took ten years or so of once a week going to places that had escalators and talking to people that fixed them and cleaned them and little by little we overcame the fear and now we can not only ride on escalators but we could probably build one if we needed to. The real reason for yesterdays trip to the Mall was to get The MAP. The man who is in charge of security at the Mall knows us WELL (we introduced ourselves early on since we figured he needed to know us if there was a Seizure Episode or some such thing...and as usual, he turned out to be One Cool Dude.) When they change the Maps at the Mall (the ones that show you the YOU ARE HERE spot and how to spend the most amount of money in the shortest possible time....) Joey gets the Ones They Throw Away and puts them up in his room like huge posters. Now that he lives in his own nest, he wanted the HOLIDAY MAP for his new place. End of January they put up the new MAPS....so I left the MALL with a wildly grinning young MAN with a MAP under his arm and a small bag of freshly baked cookies and a belly full of fries. Home before dark and back to my knitting. Life is SWEET.

Comments

[Kim]

What a perfect day for you & Joey! I love Airstream trailers--our family had spent its first few years living in a small Airstream behind my Grandma & Grandpa's house. I still remember ice skating down the linoleum hallway in my jammies and socks, pretending to be Peggy Fleming.

The People Who Make Things Work are among the most interesting, don't you think?

Have a glorious weekend! xxoo

[Christine]

Vintage trailers!! Now you're speaking my language! I've been plotting to get one for the last year and my husband is VERY reluctant!
The father of a friend of mine has a teensy little 1956 "canned ham" trailer waiting for me when I'm ready.
I just need to get the vehicle to pull one! That's my biggest hurdle!

My 6 y/o son is obsessed with "HOW things work" and we spend a fair amount of time escalator riding as well! :)

[annie]

I have a Joey too! Except now that he is seven it is "Joe". Gone from Joseph-Joey-Joe. (I still call him Joseph).
Sounds like a fun day for a rightfully proud mama.

[Ann]

Escalators...how about the time a small boy SUDDENLY decided they were frightening, and the mom was at the bottom (in the airport!) and he was at the top! Oh no!

Also, you're right, it's good to get friendly with security. Real friendly ;)

[Anne]

I thought I'd make you feel a little better about the problem with none of the arts being in schools. Currently my high school offers 2 Shakespeare classes, 3 Creative writing classes, about 10 art classes (with 2 teachers), and has a full music department including a band, orchestra, jazz band, and choir. Not to mention the poetry readings once a year and the play and musical we put on. Just though that'd cheer you up a little bit. :)

By the way, I love the idea of a vintage trailer. :)

[Rachael]

Hey Ma, you got a lot of them Ma-things happening, huh? Man, Mall, Maps, Mamas, all the best kinds of Mas. (and the sheep say maaaa maaa maaa.....MD, here we come!)

[Rachael]

Hey Ma, you got a lot of them Ma-things happening, huh? Man, Mall, Maps, Mamas, all the best kinds of Mas. (and the sheep say maaaa maaa maaa.....MD, here we come!)

[Carolyn]

I sympathize about the de-emphasis on the arts. I see it here in NY state. We are lucky to have an arts center with kid's programs, but they are expensive. My daughter knows that I can always be persuaded to spend $$ on books or art supplies.

[Bliss]

What a neat idea about the Maps. Who knew? You just go ahead and puff up there Mama bird, we understand. My husband is one who always talks to and befriends the invisible people. One of the things that attracted me to him the most.