New Route and a lion dance detour

Because of the snow, or mainly because my neighbors do not shovel a wide enough path for a stroller to fit through, I cannot use my stroller. (If anyone thinks Ayn Rand's ideas of private roads and all that as being functional in society, just take a look at private property where you are indeed required by law to shovel. Noat everyone shovels well enough.)
Because I cannot use my stroller I can't strap Jonah into it, thereby immobilizing one child so that I can capture and dress the other one at school. So basically leaving school took forever.
Which ended up being a good thing because My Si Hing gave me a call and there was a lion dance tonight I had forgotten about. The kids didn't get to perform, but I don't think they minded much because they got the opportunity to stiff their faces with various baked goods that were left out while standing next to the gong. They then schemed to take candy from the many red envelopes left out for the lion head. It is interesting to see some children bawling because they are afraid of the lion head, and then you see Jonah basically running right up to it. He was sort of in danger but the head was one of my students who, if he wanted to be, could be a Sifu himself by now if he wanted to. Actually it's not even a matter of lack of practice because there are plenty of Sifu's out there that aren't that great. He literally could wake up one day and say, "I'm A Sifu." and he would be. So anyway, he had enough control of the head that Jonah wasn't really in any danger.

Well we did that, and then we walked home from Jackson Square. Noah walked the whole way, so now I know he can do it, and we might use that path from now on. I think it's longer but the wider street gives you more of a sense of where you are going. Plus there are stores and stuff to look at.

One store had a poster of Dora the Explorer.

"Is Dora a girl?" Noah asks

"Yes Dora is a girl."

".......Does Dora have ovaries?"

"Yes. she does.

"Why does Dora have ovaries?"

"Because Dora is a girl?"


"Why is she a girl?"

Because she was born a girl."


Such conversation and lots of stopping to cut the snow with the paper plates left over from the Lion Dance pastry feast was our homeward adventure. I lost my temper a few times with Jonah, who wanted to walk, then wanted to lie on the sidewalk, but who didn't want to be carried but wanted to run, and then wanted to lie down again on the sidewalk.
But anyway, we made it home. So it cane be done.