On Socialization

I've got a neighbour girl over for the afternoon. She's five, like Charlotte. They get on well but, boy, are they right when they say two's company and three's a crowd (the third being Emily, 2 1/2). There is always someone left out, and girls are so sensitive. It was a difficult day, full of drama. "She said she's taller than me!" or "She said she wants to sit by Emily instead of me!" I had to keep gritting my teeth and forcing myself to speak in dulcet tones, quelling the shrieking banshee within.

The kids had a great time watching the deer and the birds in the backyard. Animals are coming out of the woods in force, looking for something to eat after three days of heavy snow. Mr. Next Door has a late-producing apple tree that still has lots of fruit on it, and the deer have been coming around his place for two days now, reaching up into the tree to get at the apples. At one point this afternoon there were five deer gathered around the tree. They have also enjoyed my still-budding rosebush, which is now weighted down with snow and leaning over within easy reach of the ground. As far as I'm concerned, they can have it. However, when it comes to three of my four neighbours talking about actually feeding them, ("Oh, the poor things must be hungry! I always throw some apples, potatoes, onions and carrots outside for them when it snows.") enough is definitely enough. I mean, come on: they're hardly in danger of starving to death after three days of snow. There are thousands of way manlier deer in this province, who have to survive from September to April by digging down into the drifts to reach the dormant grass beneath. The deer we have around here are so poncey - this is their chance to toughen up.

But then, we all know how I feel about deer.



______________________________

It's always nice to have a man around the house, especially to keep you company for a nice homemade eggnog latte. Sadly, this particular one is "not a whole man", as he kept saying to me in a sad tone, but I trust that he is happier now that he has been reunited with his missing leg.