Busy Bees

The library summer program has started and we've been weaving around like crazy, getting here and there. The programs are scheduled differently each week to accomodate the different presentations and audiences, so I finally cleaned out the ole bike trailer (it was yellow with pollen) and hitched it up to my HC's bike. I forget why the hitch was put on his bike, since he's rarely around (or in the mood) to haul Shorty Red Curls around. I would like to place a motion to move the hitch from his bike to mine, because he is a good 8 inches taller than me and his bike reflects his size. In other words, my feet don't touch the ground very well when I am riding his bike. But that's neither here nor there.
Our favorite thing so far about the library program is Playgroup. It is co-sponsored by the Cherokee Nation Learn and Play Kid Connection. They have so many toys and learning experiences. There is a tub of water and floating ducks, wooden fruit that you can string up, play-doh, drawing, books, etc etc. And the teachers there practice counting and fine motor skills. It is for children 5 and under, though older siblings are encouraged to play along as well (and who doesn't get a kick out of baby toys? Everyone protests and scoffs, but after the baby leaves the room, the toys are still being used.).
But the absolute coolest thing about this is that they teach Cherokee. For those who aren't familiar with this area, Tahlequah (where my HC works) is the capital of the Cherokee Nation. The Heritage Center is there, the tribal buildings, the Cherokee Hospital, etc are all there. All of the street signs are in English and in Cherokee. It's pretty cool.
This month, the focus is learning numbers. I don't have a Cherokee font on my computer, so I will give the pronunciation.
One-- sa w u (sah-quoo)
Two-- ta li (tot-lee)
Three-- tso i (chjoh-ee)
Four-- nv gi (nuh-gee)
Five-- hi s gi (hees-gee)
Six-- su da li (soo-dah-lee)
Seven-- ga li quo gi (gahl-qwoh-gee)
Eight-- tsa ne la (chah-nay-lah)
Nine-- so ne la (soh-nay-lah)
Ten-- sgo hi (sgoh-hee)

There will be a quiz. So far, I can remember a few, but the best part is the accent. You know all those indian movies, like Last of the Dogmen and Dances With Wolves? They make those gutteral throat noises? Well, it's just like that and it's pretty awesome. But that is just me and my fascination with languages. And yes, plenty of people around here speak it. You can go into a room and two old guys will be rattling back and forth.
The lady who is the native speaker is a lot of fun and laughs at my pronunciation. It is now my personal goal to impress her. For some reason, Spanish was a lot easier....
When we are at home, we are goofing off around the house and playing a lot outside. My first squash is ready to come off the vine today. We will be having a squash cutting ceremony later today when we are out playing, if it does not hail (hello, summer storm season!). I can barely keep the swimsuits clean and dry before we are putting them on again to go out and play. The kids and I are getting tanned (okay, fine, the kids are getting tans). "Mommy, your spots are getting more!" said Ian as he pointed in wary fascination at my darkening freckles. In Britain, when someone has acne, it is described as having spots. Great. I am either pimply or a dalmation.
But today is my HC's Friday, meaning it's his last workday before his weekend. We're planning a visit to the river to play, so I'm sure I'll get even more spots then.