June 04, 2006

Blogger visit

I've got a houseful of teenagers. So in the middle of the night, my home is filled with music and laughter and all kinds of activity, but on a Saturday morning, the house is quiet and empty. The teenagers do emerge eventually, but during daylight hours, they tend to be slothlike, often moving slowly about the kitchen to get food. That's why it was especially wonderful that when my favorite North Country blogger, Rob Helpy-Chalk, came to visit, he brought his family – his warm, beautiful wife and two small children who are exceptionally cute.

I had forgotten how much fun it is to be around small children. When the Little Boy with the Gorgeous Green Eyes warmed up and actually sat in my lap, I just wanted to keep him. He was wearing one of those one-piece outfits that fits over a diaper – how is it that just the other day I was putting outfits like that on Boy in Black? When was the last time I had a son who wore something other than black band t-shirts? Glitter Girl had the cutest way of talking – she was telling us about her trip to the zoo, and the careful way she pronounced the names of animals she had seen, with long pauses and wide eyes before she would say something like, Wing-tailed Lemur -- well, it was adorable.

Rob was just what I expected from his blog – smart and funny and ready to switch to serious topics when asked about his work – except his voice was different. I associate him with the North Country because that is where he lives and works right now, but his voice is not North Country at all. Turns out he is from Virginia originally. That’s one of the most interesting things about a blogger meet-up: changing the image inside your head to match the person sitting in the room.

His wife was warm and friendly and very easy to talk to, even though we had never met before. And she was beautiful. It’s easy to see where the kids get their looks from. (Sorry, Rob, but it’s true.) I tried to impress her by blowing up balloons she had brought for the kids, but was so distracted by conversation that the balloon burst in my face. Little Green-eyed Boy was not at all disturbed by the loud bang of me destroying his toy, but then burst into tears when I attempted to save his life by sweeping a round white cap out of his mouth before he could choke to death. As he glared at me from his mother’s arms, his face flushed and his blond hair sticking up over his gorgeous eyes, he was just so ridiculously cute that it was impossible not to smile.

Glitter Girl had these little tubes of body glitter, and she very carefully rubbed the glitter all over her own arms, and then all over her mother, and then on my arms and face. She even left me some so that I could use it with my belly dancing outfit. When I explained to her that I needed a photo for my blog that did not include her face, she posed cooperatively, careful to hold out the clover flower she was clutching proudly in her hand.

smallchild

12 comments:

Girl said...

That’s one of the most interesting things about a blogger meet-up: changing the image inside your head to match the person sitting in the room.

That is how I feel when ever you see a radio personality. It really gets me out of sorts.

zelda1 said...

What an adorable child.

Anonymous said...

It's all a dream jo(e). Boy in Black is in your imagination. Your children are actually all under ten.

What a fun day. Nothing like a little toddler time.

Liz Miller said...

Mmmm! Delicious!

Deb said...

What a sweet picture!

I have my own blogger visitor this weekend--I'll post pics later today!

Andromeda Jazmon said...

I've taken note of your rule about not showing faces in your blog pictures. It is a challenge, isn't it ? Because the face is the most compelling part of people pictures. But do do this because you think it respects their privacy? Keeps them anonymous?It is a strategy I have considered copying. I love posting my kids' pictures but it doesn't really feel safe.

Sally said...

great post- not so sure I can do the under 10 thing anymore!!!

jo(e) said...

Cloudscome: I think I began the no-faces rule with some idea I was protecting their privacy. And then it just became a convention .... my kids are old enough to have a choice in the matter and I think they like the no-faces rule.

Posting only faceless photos also does help limit how many photos I put on my blog. All the photos that have my kids' faces in them always seem like wonderful photos to me -- if I started posting photos of my gorgeous kids, my readers would soon get bored with how many photos I would put up.

Anonymous said...

You're too kind!

I thought you should know that less than a minute after we pulled out of your driveway Glitter Girl said "I want to go back there. I had fun." We briefly discussed turning around, but then within five minutes she was asleep, so it seemed best to run home. They both slept until 20 minutes before we pulled into our driveway. We were pretty lucky with the travel, overall.

Isn't it fun to hear little kids repeating big words that would not normally be in their vocabulary? We have some friends who taught their (very loquacious) not-quite-two-year-old to say "globalization" and "hegemony." Too funny!

Rob Helpy-Chalk said...

Ditto what Ms. H-C said. It was really great to meet you in person. For my part, I was surprised at how strong a Snowstorm City accent you have, although I believe you have blogged on it. I think I detected what the linguists call the "northern cities vowel shift" which is endemic to all urban areas around the Great Lakes, going as far west as the Windy City Famous for a Baseball Team that Always Looses.

Those beautiful green eyes come from my side of the family, by the way!

Mona Buonanotte said...

I love when two of my favourite bloggers meet up! And yes, I'm very jealous.

I laughed at the description of glitter application...Girl-child does the same thing to herself and to me, with the Fairy Dust glitter we got at the Goddess Bookstore. Pretty pretty!

jo(e) said...

Ms. Helpy-Chalk: I'm glad they both slept. I took a nap myself after you left. Grey rainy days are good for sleeping.

Tell Glitter Girl that I wore some body glitter to my belly dancing class last night, and everyone thought it was cool.

Rob: Oh, okay, I will admit that you have gorgeous eyes. If I were you, I would wear green shirts all the time.

People are always surprised at what a strong Snowstorm accent I have. I am glad it does not come through in my writing because it's not a pleasant accent. People always rave about British accents and southern accents -- no one ever says anything good about a Snowstorm accent.

Mona: I have a friend in City That Makes Automobiles who wants me to visit so sooner or later I plan to meet you and Sergei ....