Top o' the stairs

It's been a while since we've had the chance to get away to the country for anything more than a "drive by" - a quick visit where all you really get to do is turn the house on, put the kid to bed, make a few meals, play in the snow a little bit, then close the house up and leave. I have all sorts of nostalgia and longing for a time when we can actually stretch out and stay for a while, to enjoy the splendid isolation. In a way, that's unrealistic, and it's not likely to happen anytime soon with the rush of work and the intense pressure and travel of the jobs that Beautiful Wife keeps getting handed. That's okay, I guess - because it's better these days to be working than not. But still, I sorely miss it - time feels different there, and Beautiful Wife and Dear Alex and I can simply play. A long time ago I wrote about the 'thing at the top of the stairs' that magically kept Dear Alex from climbing and playing there - eventually, it's powers diminished and I shoved it in a closet. Now that landing is a favorite spot, and Dear Alex has a wonderful time hanging out there, and delightedly dropping things from above - and we have a new game - 'catch the slinky' as she tips it down the stairs - hey, it works like magic! BW got the giant stuffed pink pony into it, and the kid goes wild. I am absolutely fascinated by the kids imagination, and the delight she takes in the silliest things, and the best thing is - it's contagious.