elfs | I can tell, just by looking into your eyes, that you have the legs of a dancer...

Danger, Will Robinson!

Saturday was your typical morning. After a catch-all breakfast, we headed out to Kouryou-chan's school for the monthly cleanup routine. It was exceptionally routine. We were the only people there, so Omaha weeded and picked up while I did the gutters. As I got around to the Primary Garden, though, I spotted this new cable running from the post on the edge of the property down to under the eaves, where it links in with a bunch of other cables that lead from the post to an elevated roof post.

My biggest guess is that this is a data cable for collecting information from the new digital power meter on the property. But that doesn't look safe at all to me, and I didn't go anywhere near it while cleaning out the gutters in that section.

We bailed after two hours, all necessary work done. I had a brief talk with Kouryou-chan about the difference between honor, reputation (thank you, Lois), and character, and why we did these chores even when no one was watching.

We went home, had lunch, cleaned up, and then headed out to the Saturday dance practice, where I was immediately roped into being a prop for the school's annual Nutcracker, as "a parent" for the opening party scene.

I protested. I have three left feet! But no dice, Omaha was doing it too, so I quickly learned my routine, coming in on the stage, bowing to the real dancers, then heading stage right to play watermelon-cantelope silently with the other parental players and herding the very little children, the ones in pre-ballet, through the circuit laid out on the marley floor.

It was fun, the other parents were helpful, the children were delightful, as well as the one older dancer girl assigned to play the role of the maid, one of those irrepressibly happy people who just seemed damned glad to be doing something. The girl who plays Clara, in contrast, is very serious, with her face set and determined as she demonstrates her toe-standing skills. She's a good dancer, but has to work on that audience-pleasing stage-presence thing.

After the practice was over, we went home where I spent much of the afternoon hacking. For dinner I made halibut chowder (yum!), and we played a round of Sorry! before bed.