I'm very fond of Precocious Neighborhood Child, though I don't blog much about her. Sam is a few chromosomes short of being in love with her, as she's happy to scratch his ears endlessly whenever they meet. PNC is quite bright, very funny and all of that, but such a strong individual in her own right that I truly admire her. I never know if a conversation about the Constitution ("My mother said you'd know the answer") will stay on topic, or move on to something erudite but odd.
For example, PNC has an extra-large cage in her room for her pet rats. When the rats died, her parents (good people) wanted to replace them. Naturally they turned to the Internet. This, to cut a long story short, meant that the replacement rats came from Ohio. Weekly updated photos got sent via e-mail and then one Saturday they took a family road trip to pick up the new rats. If you knew PNC and her parents this would not come as a surprise.
PNC is bright - alarmingly so sometimes. She knows which teachers will challenge and which will tow the line. She's pleased that her least favorite sub is filling in for the month at another class "it means I'm safe." She's highly annoyed at how "boring" school is (she's in the gifted program) and looks forward to Middle School, because it will have study hall. "Then I can really get to be good at checkers."
I'm always secretly pleased when PNC is outside as Sam and I walk by. Our conversations are unpredictable, but always enjoyable. For some reason she has decided that, while an adult (aka yucky) I am still worth the conversation time and it's always wonderful. I think it might be my interest in her rats. I like mammals in cages, what can I say...
PNC spends most of the summer scheduled and away from the neighborhood. Much as I am happy that summer is a'coming in, I shall miss her.
4 comments:
Personal experience:
Everything nasty, evil and underhanded I learned in study hall. I got into more trouble there than anywhere else in school.
Parallel to all I needed to know I learned in kindergarten....
... loudly sing cuckoo.
Groweth seed and bloweth mead,
And sing the world anew.
Sing cuckoo!
Same here, John. I loved study hall.
Lemming, I envy you for having a precocious neighbor kid. The kids in my addition seem a little slack-jawed.
Did you ever read the Ezra Pound poem called "Ancient Music?"
Winter is icummenin,
Lhude sing Goddamm,
Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.
Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,
An ague hath my ham.
Freezeth river, turneth liver,
Damn you, sing: Goddamm.
Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm.
So 'gainst the winter's balm.
Sing goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm,
Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM.
...I think of this one about the beginning of February.
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