A whole day with the skunk in the middle...

Pic By Geomateo at ToonPool

  Yes, well almost a whole day.  Had to go to the VA to get some tests done for EMT school.  But Karyn had plans in Lincoln, so we met, I grabbed Daniel, and we had a marvelous day.  We hit a bunch of hobby stores, looking for Christmas present ideas (I tend to do that pretty early, mostly to torture Mommy Skunk.)  We sang songs, told silly stories and had a grand time.  As we pulled up to Hobby Lobby, I saw Karyn (Mommy Skunk), walking in the parking lot, looking at me with a confused face.  She was not aware that we were shopping, she thought we went straight to the Children's Museum.  We talked for a second, through my window, then she started walking to a kids clothing store.

  As  I pulled into a parking space, I asked Daniel, the skunk in the middle, if he saw who we ran into.  He said no, and started looking around.  I told him that we ran into Mommy in the parking lot.  He said, "No way Daddy, stop teasing me!"  We continued like this for a few seconds.  Karyn was only catching my part of the conversation, and didn't understand the horrified look on Daniel's face.  I wasn't looking at him, or it would've dawned on me.  As he got out of the car, he looked at Mommy with a relieved look on his face and said, "See!  You didn't run over Mommy, she's right there!  Quit teasing!"

  Wow, sometimes I forget that 4 year olds are not well practiced in idiom.  Captain Literal, that's my boy.  Well, we finished our grand tour of every hobby shop in Lincoln and spent the rest of the day at the Lincoln Children's Museum.  Then we picked up Big Brother Skunk from 4-H and went to School Fun Night.  All in all, a busy day.

  At this point, I feel I should probably explain the whole Skunk in the middle thing.  I realized that, other than my wife and in-laws, none of you probably have any clue what that was all about.  Except maybe Dawn...  Anyway, it all started when Tim and I did a rockhounding trip about a month ago.  I turned on the stereo, and there was a children's CD in the player.  Normally I would gag.  My wife is a preschool teacher, so she has a bazillion or so children's CD's.  You know the type, "Elmo sings Nursery Rhymes" and such.  Ick.  This one was different, I was laughing nonstop.  It was by far one of the most brilliant collections of children's songs I had ever heard.  It is total Cub Scout campfire fodder, with songs like "Black Socks (They Never Get Dirty)", "50 ways to fool your mother" and "Dad Threw the TV Out the Window".  Toward the end of the CD, the author tells an amazing story called, "You're Not the Boss of Me".  It starts off with, "Once upon a time, there was a family of skunks.  There was a Daddy Skunk, a Mommy Skunk, a Big Brother Skunk, a Baby Skunk....and a Skunk in the Middle....and her name was Charlene."  Other than Daniel not being named Charlene, and a boy, and not a skunk...it was too good to pass up.  Daniel has been the Skunk in the Middle ever since.

  It turns out, this CD is by an amazing singer/songwriter/storyteller named Bill Harley.  He's won 3 Grammys and been nominated for 6 more.  He had been a featured artist at the Plum Creek Literacy Festival, held annually at Concordia University in Seward, NE.  This is a celebration of children's literature that has few rivals in the country.  Past guests include Roland Smith, John Archambault, and Lois Lowry.  It's a pretty big deal.  Well, for the last 3 years, my wife has been the coordinator for the Literacy on the Lawn portion of the Festival, which is a series of literacy themed games, activities and crafts for the children to participate in.  So, Karyn had met Mr Harley and acquired the CD, called "Play It Again".  I highly recommend it to anyone with kids, or without, it really is brilliant.  Here's the Amazon link for the album: http://www.amazon.com/Play-It-Again-Favorite-Songs/dp/B0000296XN .

  And here is a YouTube video of him performing "You're Not The Boss Of Me."  It's not quite the same as the album, but he adds some fun twists in the video....enjoy!