The Wuggie Norple Story
The Wuggie Norple Story. Story by the great Daniel Pinkwater. Illustrations by the equally great Tomie dePaola, whose Strega Nona was another favorite book to read aloud. Thanks to my friend Marcia for retrieving the title, which was lost forever in my brain in a mirror image memory as Nuggie Worple.
Surprising. Usually my brain refuses to reverse things. In class, I'm forever mixing up whether we're on the left or right leg. Worst is when I try to mirror my yoga students who are doing a pose right leg forward, and I, who am facing them, need to put my left leg forward so that I'm demonstrating what looks like the same side. Then, I try to give verbal directions that match the side that they're working on: extend the right leg, bring the left foot into the crook of your elbow and gently rock the hip, then place the sole of the left foot against the inner right leg, and so on. It's as though a garage door comes down in my mind, separating the question "which leg next" from the part of the brain that can supply the answer.
So, say it with me: The Wuggie Norple Story. And here, a blog about books and movies and more. A very good blog. I like to think that it reveals, in part, the indirect results of giving a baby a book by Daniel Pinkwater about a cat who grows and grows to gigantic proportions.
Knitting getting done: the first section of the Swallowtail Shawl out of Blue Sky Alpaca odds and ends in my laundry-basket stash. You can get a lot of knitting done as you sit in airports, waiting to fly to Cleveland on the same day that a Delta plane slips off the runway. No one hurt, but an entire airport brought to a full stop. And no more Continental Airlines for me. The ticket agent there could only offer a flight seven hours later, or suggest that we start driving. Not an appealing option, as we were attempting to reconnoiter with our daughters before driving to Akron for a memorial service the next morning. Not so at the United counter, where the ticket agent put us on a standby at 430 pm and a flight at 530 pm. Thank you, Ebony Parker at the United counter at O'Hare. I promise to send in a letter of appreciation for your kindness and efficiency and calm.
Surprising. Usually my brain refuses to reverse things. In class, I'm forever mixing up whether we're on the left or right leg. Worst is when I try to mirror my yoga students who are doing a pose right leg forward, and I, who am facing them, need to put my left leg forward so that I'm demonstrating what looks like the same side. Then, I try to give verbal directions that match the side that they're working on: extend the right leg, bring the left foot into the crook of your elbow and gently rock the hip, then place the sole of the left foot against the inner right leg, and so on. It's as though a garage door comes down in my mind, separating the question "which leg next" from the part of the brain that can supply the answer.So, say it with me: The Wuggie Norple Story. And here, a blog about books and movies and more. A very good blog. I like to think that it reveals, in part, the indirect results of giving a baby a book by Daniel Pinkwater about a cat who grows and grows to gigantic proportions.
Knitting getting done: the first section of the Swallowtail Shawl out of Blue Sky Alpaca odds and ends in my laundry-basket stash. You can get a lot of knitting done as you sit in airports, waiting to fly to Cleveland on the same day that a Delta plane slips off the runway. No one hurt, but an entire airport brought to a full stop. And no more Continental Airlines for me. The ticket agent there could only offer a flight seven hours later, or suggest that we start driving. Not an appealing option, as we were attempting to reconnoiter with our daughters before driving to Akron for a memorial service the next morning. Not so at the United counter, where the ticket agent put us on a standby at 430 pm and a flight at 530 pm. Thank you, Ebony Parker at the United counter at O'Hare. I promise to send in a letter of appreciation for your kindness and efficiency and calm.
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