Love is Magic

The other night me and my parents were kept awake - from 1 in the morning until 5 a.m. - by the sound of street cleaners doing donuts on the intersection near our house. I lay there for a while wondering "Can I call mommy? Can I call mommy?" and finally I couldn't take it anymore and shouted for help. We all lay in bed complaining together and I finally expressed to my parents what I've wanted to say for a long time:
"The day my ceiling fell was the baddest day of my life". (note from Harry's typist: For those of you who haven't heard, our neighbor's radiator leaked and caused a damp spot in Harry's ceiling which collapsed, creating a 2 foot hole - STILL not fixed)
As we huddled together I told mom to call the street cleaner company to ask them to be more quiet, fix my ceiling and turn the driveway into a garden. And then, as I felt more snoozy, murmured,
"Love is magic."

Life's Important Questions

After chatting with dad about boyfriends and girlfriends I asked him "What happens if you're in an elevator with your boyfriend and your girlfriend and the bottom of the elevator falls out and, as you're falling down you break up with your boyfriend and girlfriend and then you jet pack away with your fart machine?"

A Walk in the Country

Here I am with a gang of friends during a weekend away in the country. We're celebrating the end of an epic scavenger hunt that took place in, around and through the woods. I was on Team Peanut with my pal Caimen. We had to collect pinecones, an underwater rock, a leaf with three colors, and take photos of ourselves with a gravestone, patting an animal (not a cat or a dog), standing on a castle, and floating a boat we made ourselves. Our reward was a mini maglight, which I've slept with every night since. The country was good for the kids - we ran around in the dark, lit fires, walked for miles, I even cut myself on grass (too short for elephant grass?) and didn't cry much. I'm toughening up!

Sea Gules

This is my band Sea Gules. I play the spatula and wooden spoons[guitar and drums]. We're known for bursting into action during gatherings with friends - usually after long boring dinners with our parents. Pardon the old guy on stage - he likes to join us and we don't have the heart to ask him to leave...

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!

Today was my first day of kindergarten. It's just like preschool. We ate snack in the cafeteria, looked into the principal's office and I got to turn on the heater in the classroom just for a minute.

One of my classmates said to his mom, before she left him in the morning, "Mom, life is boring!"
I don't agree.

A few days ago I told my mom, emphatically from the backseat of the car when she thought I was dropping off, "Mom - when I grow up I'm gonna be a man without a job!"

Air Conditioner Season in Full Swing!

All photos by Harry.

The 230th anniversary of the Battle of Hubbardton!

Cameras weren't allowed but mom snuck a small one under her skirts...she also hid two flashlights and a cooler, which was totally inauthentic.

Here I am with Seamus, from Canada, who was with the select marksmen. He's been "in the hobby" his whole life and taught me a lot about reenacting. He also filled our tent with fireflies.

We tracked rebels in the woods by investigating the broken limbs in the forest. We got kicked off the main battlefield as we searched the perimeter with our muskets - "Get off the field, lads!" Mother helped me build my own wigwam while father carried out patrols with the 40th. We slept in all our clothes, ate rice and lentils mostly (except for the cheerios mom smuggled into camp) and had to use port-o-potties, which scared me so much I held it in for two days...

Next stop - the Battle of Saratoga!

My new dog...

This is my new pup, Shredder. I got him in a shelter (aka airport toy store) in Florida. I take him everywhere. Last Sunday I put him on a leash and walked (dragged) him down the boardwalk bythe beach. I wonder why he's so dirty...
Yesterday was a HUGE day - I went to kindergarten orientation.There were kids from India, Israel, Russia and Scotland. We had a scavenger hunt in a classroom, saw the gym and cafeteria where I can buy my own lunch (if I can pay for it, carry it and eat it during the 20 minutes we haves scheduled to eat). There are older kids at the school who we saw in the hallways. They were really nice to us, and stared at us a little bit and patted us on the head as we passed, as if remembering what it was like when they were five years old...

Sanibel Island

Just got back from Sanibel Island, Florida. Hardy and Jake - you've got to come there with me next time! I battled waves with driftwood, built cities out of sand, dodged the swarms of (mating) love bugs and red algae that smelled like poo...that's how lovely it is - despite the stinkweed and bugs it was paradise. We collected bags of pink, orange, twisting, scalloped, and bleached shells. Mom suggested we toss a bunch of them onto the sands of Pleasure Bay in South Boston, just for kicks. It would be great to see the face of one of the hardy, dedicated souls that visit the Bay happen upon a Scotch Bonnet or a Lion's Paw (Sanibel Island, by the way, was named Costa da Carocles by Ponce de Leon - the few streets on the island were paved with shells until the 1960s...).

Science Thursday

Mom and I played with my new electricity kit, while Kenmore the cat tried to sabotage the whole project by trying to make off with the parts. He's like a hairy younger brother.
Went to school for class photos today. My friend Julia and Benjamin called "Hey! Hey, Harry Parker!" to which I replied, "They're always using my name. They're gonna use it all up. Soon there'll be none left. I'll have to buy some more."

Peas & Flu

It's time to stop posting pics of food, but I do love my peas...I'm home with flu, limp and glassy-eyed. Back with updated photos when I kick the illness.
I want to take pictures of flowers. I was examining some nearby blooms the other day and told mom, upon sniffing a purple hyacinth "Mmm, these smell like my dreams."

Still Life with Remote, Portrait of Teddy & Nettie

Happy 5th Birthday, Harry!

The Breakfast Series

Here are some new photos. Mom especially likes "Boiled Chuck and Di"

(boiled egg on a Charles and Diana commemorative plate)

The perfect day...

We took the Downeaster from Boston up to Portland Maine for the weekend. Business class is very nice because you can "eat food and tilt your seat back." We explored the "Old Port", went to the Children's Museum where I worked the saw mill, put gas in a sports car and climbed a tree house, then my parents gave me piggy back rides through the streets. We saw a funny art exhibition called "Donkey Balls." Mom kept trying to tell me how woodcuts were made but I was just interested in the saying the words "Donkey Balls" over and over again. The parents took turns and spent a LONG time in a bookshop called "Yes" that they went back to twice, it was that good.

I meant to write last week to describe my perfect day. First, me and dad went to Franklin Park Zoo. Dad took me to see the newly built gorilla park - the baby Kira waved at me and licked the glass when she saw me. Little Joe banged his chest at dad. Then we visited the scary tarantula that was as big as my fist and not so scary when it was all curled up. After lunch Anjali and I met up at Starbuck's park and we ran around in the muddy grass. The mud splashed up to our knees, down from our heads and onto our faces. A neighbor came by and said to my dad "I hate to be a grinch, but the town will probably put up a sign telling us to keep off that grass."
That night, Mom built me a fort on the floor and we read and cuddled. I sighed, looked up at mom and said "This was the best day of my whole short life."

New England Spring!

Mom took these pics of me terrorizing the neighborhood as T-Rex with my dinosaur snowshoes. I stamped the whole neighborhood. Notice my hands tucked into my sleeves - this was because I refused to wear mittens. Cut to 1/2 hour later, tears streaming down my face shouting "WHY? WHY!" shaking my pink fists into the air. Mom suggested we walk up town to buy a hot chocolate which warmed me up immediately. I talked her into an ice cream, we shared mittens on the way home, and had a great walk, chatting how to find north, south, east and west.

Moving House

My parents are busy cleaning the apartment for an open house on Sunday. They drew a white chalk circle on the floor of the living room and asked me to stand there, within the lines, while they tidy up. Between me and Kenmore, we're thwarting their plans. As soon as one thing goes into a little storage basket, I pull something else out, or Kenmore knocks an object off a table with a mighty swipe.

At school on Friday I worked on an art project for our upcoming art opening (May 1st). I flicked paint like Jackson Pollock and carved into wood like Albrecht Durer. I liked flicking paint best. On Monday we begin to learn about black and white photography, which I'm looking forward to. I'm going to bring my camera to school.

My favorite toy lately is a huge mechanic's magnet covered with depointed nails, a spoon, chain, paperclips and assorted other things that have been picked up by the incredible pull (the magnet weighs 30 lbs). I wonder what will happen if I put mom's credit card on it...

Tomorrow is my last skating lesson - I'll try to post a photo from Jen. I've got lots of new photos of my own to post so keep watching. xox

Planes, trains and...more trains

A portrait of my dad on the C line to Copley, on our way to Back Bay to go trainspotting, a weekly adventure. I don't like the noise of the engines bouncing off the tunnel walls so I stay behind the doors to each platform at the foot of the escalator. I look for the Amtrak Regional, the commuter rail (I've taken the Framingham line), and especially the Acela. I've got a toy train that I call the Pacific Express that I bring along. Mom has promised to take me on the train up to Portland, Maine, and I hear there is one called the Orient Express...

This is my favorite lunch from Village Pizza.

Latest photos

This is a portrait of my grampy.

So much snow!

[all photos by mom]
I've never seen so much snow! It took two days for Nettie and Berl to dig out. Dad, Mom, Berl and me spent hours at the local school, sledding down an enormous hill on a toboggan. Well, they did. I had an arctic adventure. I found an old black cane, sunk up to my waist and shouted "I'm in the BIG BIG SNOW. Who wants to come in the big big snow?" I'd hurl my cane and shove my body through the snow, breaking trails...Dad, Berl and Mom had a race to see who could luge fastest and farthest down the enormous hill and across the field. Next day we rode a gondola 4300 feet up onto Mt. Mansfield to watch the skiiers plummet down the slopes. It was soooo cold we huddled in the warming hut for a while, watching the skiers jam granola bars in their mouth and stuff foot warmers into their boots. We bought some socks (yes, there was a shop, a restaurant and a waffle house on top the mountain!) and warmed up with Lake Champlain hot chocolate. Mmm....A fantastic weekend in Vermont. Mom's gonna teach me to ski this spring.

Mommy and me and Spongebob!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE! xoxo

Whoopie!

This photo was taken at xmas- Santa brought me a whoopie cushion. Mom decided to post this pic because I've had the giggles lately. Last night I farted and made myself guffaw with laughter. Mom was reminded of the time when I was about six months old and she heard me belly laughing in my sleep, which was then punctuated by a big loud fart.

Dad and I are lately heavily involved in a new game called "Westfield" - mom bought me a little German board game that involves parking tiny wooden cars onto little cardboard parking lots, but dad adapted it into some kind of soap-opera drama involving the cars and a small rubber chicken. Mom has no idea what we're hollering about every night so let's recap. In last night's episode I invaded the town of Westfield, and the rubber chicken, Frederick, married a car. Mom huffs and sighs that we don't use the game pieces properly, but is getting hooked listening...

In other news, I skated across the entire ice rink twice last week! I fell once and couldn't get up. The teachers had all abandoned us, as they do for 15 minutes each lesson, so I waited patiently until a very kind 7 year old boy helped me up. I pursed my lips, thrust one arm forward, holding it just so for balance, and shuffled to where mom was jumping up and down and waving me on.

That's it for today - love and farts!

Cranky times

I'm in a bit of cranky mood tonight. This weather is getting me down - we haven't been outside to play in two days, so I'm going stir-crazy. Ask my parents. I've had five minutes in naughty corner and my pirate ship has been shelved until tomorrow. Mom is going to try to get me chilled out in the tub right now. In the meantime, here's a self-portrait...

American Idol

My dad has been watching American Idol all day for his weekly column in The Boston Phoenix (see it next Thursday). I nabbed this calendar from him today...
Skating went really well - I spent about a half hour, standing stock still on the ice until my skate-mates grew concerned and told a teacher I was "stuck to the ice". A group of them came over and encouraged me to scoot along, which I did. I'm striving for a yellow dot on my helmet - I think I'm the last red dot left. For those of you who know how long I took to walk, you know it takes me a bit of time, but I'll probably be able to do a triple sow cow on the last class - or not.
Anyway, fantastic weekend with my friends...have a great night and more soon xoxo