Stupid Questions and Snow Days

Let's start with the stupid questions. I never really thought about this category of communication so much until recently. I am not generally *quite* as critical a person as I sound right now, but this has really been on my mind so I'm going to let it out. There is a type of question apparently that I had not encountered until becoming a parent. It's a question that EVERYONE has somehow been pre-programmed to ask...a cultural staple of communication that is completely worthless, results in no substantial exchange of information and just makes the askee feel like they've been left out of some information that everyone else knows about. Mostly it's remarkable because I never had any idea that almost every single person one meets can ask the same question. I don't remember asking it of anyone in my lifetime, but I must've done it without thinking...or I apparently wouldn't be human!

'Is he/she sleeping through the night?'

You understand what I mean if you're a parent. Well just recently Reuel and I have noticed that there is another of this category of question in the air right now...

'Have you finished your Christmas shopping?'

I had no idea that this was such a hot topic. EVERYONE asks us this...Reuel noticed it too! As if it matters, the asker cares, or I have the answer figured out. So strange. I am now on alert to notice other cultural questions of this genre, and if I also ask them...fascinating.

We woke up to several inches of snow yesterday morning. I heard Reuel get Owen out of bed, the click of the blinds opening, and the little guy saying, " Noh! Noh! Noh!" (Snow). The two of them went and played before Reuel left for work and had a good time. (well, Reuel shoveled and Owen somehow entertained himself.) Yesterday, our friends Kathleen and Colin came over and we played some more. Owen's craigslist boots did NOT work for him, so he had to make do with very thin sneakers poor guy, but he didn't seem to mind. He was intent on belly flopping onto the snow and crawling across it. I'd pick him up and he'd giggle and throw himself back down. Not sure what that was about...maybe his feet were too cold to walk! He really loved it, though. Today we bought new boots, dressed up and I took him out for a pull-ride on the sled. I'm not sure if he liked it too much...I think he's too controlling to enjoy something where he's not on his own two feet very much. But he tolerated it for a few turns around the yard and down a small hill. Mostly he was not very good at walking in big snow boots so he was eager to get inside and get those off!