Weathering the Weekend

It's 51 F degrees outside and raining. It was supposed to rain all day yesterday but was mainly damp and cloudy. Knowing that we didn't want to spend the whole weekend indoors at home, even with wonderful grandparents as playmates, we headed to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum to attend the winter celebration. The kids were thrilled to show one of their favorite places to Pop (and Gommie, again). We went up in the tall observation tower and saw the snow-covered surrounding landscape and huge casino complex, then toured the exhibits. Hands down, the village with its walk-through diorama is still our favorite. It really does bring the life of the first peoples to light.

Special yesterday was the performance of Tchin, a Native-American folklorist/musician/magician. Even though the kids were on their way to being done with our visit, having had lunch, colored on a winter solstice mural, practiced Inuit strength and agility games (like owl hop on one leg and knuckle pull/tug-o-war and sit down and stand up back to back with a partner), and looked around the gift shop (buying little animal pillows for their beds and a new storybook), we stayed for the show. Which was entertaining and fascinating. I kept thinking the kids would lose interest and get squirmy and, just when I thought our time was up, they'd get interested in his story about the rainbow or how a rabbit wished for snow, or he'd play the courting flute or nose flute (yes, with his nose!!!) and stay still a little bit longer. Though once, when we asked if she were ready to go, Sis protested that we just couldn't leave before it was over. And so they made it to the end and I bought them CDs of the music (for Bud) and storytelling (for Sis), which we listened to half the way home in the pouring rain, until they fell sound asleep, trying to catch up with a serious sleep deficit over the holidays.

The weather is looking up today. In fact, the sun has started to shine and we're heading out tricycling as soon as the kids can manage to get dressed; they are currently and surprisingly distracted with folding their clothes!

The weather, though, is supposed to turn snowy and colder: just in time for Gommie and Pop to leave tomorrow without actually seeing it snow, just in time for us to try to go to NYC again this weekend. I love snow, I do, I'm just sorry that the timing hasn't been ideal so far this year.

But, to quote "Little Bear," where I first heard it:

Whether the weather be cold,

or whether the weather be hot

we'll weather the weather,

whatever the weather,

whether we like it or not!