Category: Shep

A few weeks back, I blogged about Neko helping me make apple sauce by using my new Kitchen-Aid attachment. Today I put Shep to work, and he helped me start tomato sauce by running the tomatoes through.

Now, I think Neko enjoyed herself. But Shep? He was downright giddy.

As he worked, he was singing a little song to himself about being the best tomato squasher ever. "I am doing a great job!" he would declare. That kid sang his way through 20 pounds of tomatoes.

Tom loves to cook, and I see Shep might be following in his footsteps.

Shep keeps digging out the mixing bowls. Yesterday he was all about walking around the house with a bowl on his head. And then he spent a long time flipping it upside down and standing on it like he was king of the mountain.

Today it took a twist down the musical road. He gathered together a set of three different sized bowls. He then requested a metal spoon from on the counter, gathered two different spoons from the silverware drawer, and got to work.

After about ten minutes of banging and clanging he had them lined up in order of size. When someone knocked them out of order, he furrowed his brow and put them back in order. He would play the notes in one direction and smile. And then do the reverse, and say, "Backwards!"

It's clear to me the music collection around here is only going to get bigger.

Today Susie mentioned to me that Chris was really into Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever. This was a big favorite in our house growing up, so much that Susie often slept with a dog-eared copy. I had kind of forgotten about it, so I brought it out for quiet time to read to Shep.

I read him the first few pages and then told him he could hang onto it and look though the pictures during quiet time. Some time later he started calling for me rather insistently, and when I arrived, he pointed to lower corner of the grocery store spread. "Look! It's JAM." It was as if he had just discovered buried treasure in that jar of jam.

I should have know my foodie would find that page the most fascinating. Big thanks to Susie for getting a classic back in circulation.

Basket, Day 3:
When that fundraising thing was held at our house back in May, someone brought over a huge cooler to hold drinks. There were leftover drinks in there they told us to keep, and we could just return the cooler when we unloaded it. I'm embarrassed to say, months later, the cooler is still sitting on the patio. UNTIL YESTERDAY! I emptied, scrubbed, and sanitized and returned that sucker. And that's even bigger than a basket!

A funny thing happened today—I had a conversation with Shep. He found the books of patterned paper, and set out on a long project that involved a whole lot of cutting and mess-making. For nearly half and hour he sat at the counter and he cut and talked and there was meaning and a somewhat logical flow.

I can't imagine this would have played out as it did if Neko had been in the room. I love her with all my heart, and the absence of her loud, boisterous, directive personality has left a big gaping hole in our day. But in little ways, I think we'll slowly be able to fill in the gaps, and fill them in ways that make each of us grow.