Gleek, our five-year-old, has been running a fever now for three days. Sandra ran her down to InstaCare when it opened this morning, and just returned to tell me that they’re now going down to Utah Valley Memorial Hospital to check Gleek for appendicitis. Apparently between the blood work and urinalysis, they’ve been able to conclude that she DOES have some sort of internal infection, and the cramp she has in her side is Not A Good Sign.

I’m sure Sandra will provide us with a full run-down when she returns. Right now I’m in that hopeful/fearful fog. I’ve got three kids to tend to here at home while Momma Bear chases the apes (or ape-ndicitises) away from one of the cubs.

That’s the wrong metaphor. Poppa bear doesn’t tend kids. He roams freely, and in a pinch will eat them. THIS Poppa bear ate eggs for breakfast (someone ELSE’s children when you get right down to it.) Regardless, here I am, waiting.

–Howard

Gleek wanted to meet the guy who did the Fantasia music. She figured he must be pretty cool, since he got to be in a movie.

I had to break the news to her that he was dead. She was very worried, until I explained to her that he wrote that music hundreds of years ago, and lived to be really old. She was still disappointed, but is also pretty secure in our shared religious beliefs.

“I will just see him when we all come back.” And off she went to play.

Yeah. His is one of the hands I’d like to shake, too. But I expect there will be a line.

Gleek, who is 5, walked into my office today and said “this music sounds like it is from a movie.”

Me: “Which movie?”

Gleek: “The Fantasia movie.”

Me: “It’s by the same guy.”

I was listening to Beethoven’s 1st, and she was obviously thinking of Beethoven’s 6th, portions of which were used in the original Fantasia. Of all my kids, I’m sure she’s the most musically inclined (so far, anyway) and this kind of cinches it. I’ve been listening to a LOT of music today, most of which is classical/orchestral, and only when Beethoven showed up did she announce the similarity.

Last week I taught her to play chopsticks on the piano. She can play it by ear, and improvises on the intervals pleasingly. She knows what intervals work, and which ones don’t. I guess we’ll have to cave in and get this girl some music lessons at some point, but for now I’m happy to answer her questions and point her at musical explorations she’ll enjoy.

I’ll let her borrow my Beethoven CDs anytime. I mean, it’s not as if I don’t already have all that stuff on my iPod.

I did a little pencilling at the Keep today. Janice was helping Jason stuff the holds, Bradley was keeping the couch rooted to the floor, Ari was chowing down on Cheap Chinese, and I was taking a break.

This nice gal, new to the place, began talking to us, mostly because Bradley and I were discussing the differences between monkeys and apes, and, you know… MONKEYS. It’s a conversation you have to get in on.

Naturally it led from there to ninjas, swords, and baboons. And the new girl identified herself as “the one whose fiance kidnapped her.”

Ah, yes. Those were YOUR friends who came in here, changed into black coats and ski-masks, and then went next door. “We thought they were LARPers. At least, that’s the story we would have given the police.”

She explained that she was a little concerned at how she might be weird. After all, she and her fiance have swords adorning their walls.

We all had a nice chat, and then she headed back out into the world.

I told Janice (and the rest of the store, but I directed my comments at Janice):

“The good news is, she’ll fit right in around here. The bad news is, THIS is where she fits right in.”

Maybe that’s why I love the Keep so much. Weirdos, to the last.