clara's blog

Henry Hobbes

Submitted by clara on April 13, 2009 - 8:42pm

(“It’s my new poem,” Clara explains.)

Henry Hobbes went to town
Making spirits bright
Along came Santa Bear
With light bulbs all around him
And clocks all around them.

Loud!

Submitted by clara on March 15, 2009 - 9:59am

[Katherine has the new Coldplay album on in the living room, loud so she can hear it while cleaning the kitchen. Clara is curled up on the living room couch, listening. Katherine enters.]

K (shouting): IS THIS TOO LOUD FOR YOU??

C (shouting): NO!! IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE LOUD!!

It's all in the timing

Submitted by clara on March 3, 2009 - 5:56pm

(Clara is getting up at night to pee. She holds a small cat robot as she sits on the toilet. She is not entirely awake, and very groggy.)

Clara: Mom?

Katherine: Yes?

C: (pause) Mom—…

K: Yes.

C: The only thing… (pause) that Kitty likes…

(long pause)

K: Yes?

C: … is the smell…

(long, long pause)

C: … of wildflowers.

Words for E week

Submitted by clara on March 1, 2009 - 3:22pm

Clara: This week is E week at school!

Timothy: That’s Exciting.

Katherine: Let’s see how many Extra E-words we can find. Elephant, and Egg…

(many fine words are named)

K: Oh - and here’s a good one: Eye. It doesn’t sound like an E word, does it? Hm, anything that starts with Ep-… Ep-…

Clara: Epinephrine?

K: … ah… yeah, that’s a very good E word!

Billions of memories

Submitted by clara on February 6, 2009 - 5:53pm

Clara and Dad are walking to school.

Clara: I love when you drop me off at school and pick me up.

Dad: Yeah, I think yesterday was the first time I ever did both.

C: Yeah. You know what, Dad?

D: What?

C: I love you… ten hundred million!

D: Well thanks!

C: …Is that even a number?

D: Well, ten hundreds is a thousand, and a thousand millions is a billion. So it’s a billion. And that’s a number.

C: Dad?

D: Yes?

C: I’ll always remember you.

D: That’s so nice. I’ll always remember you too.

Obama Day

Submitted by clara on January 20, 2009 - 9:39pm

(As Dad sings the first of the usual bedtime songs, Clara has her eyes closed but is smiling. He finishes the first song.)

Clara: Dad? You know why I was smiling?

Timothy: No, why?

C: It was because I had a funny dream that made me happy.

T: Uh huh?

C: I dreamed I was Obama. (rolls over, goes to sleep)

A.L. Kid's Day

Submitted by clara on December 7, 2008 - 9:26pm

Clara: Dad, when’s Arthur Lutha Kid’s Day?

Timothy: Uh… what? read more...

Silliness

Submitted by clara on November 21, 2008 - 10:08pm

Clara: Mom, in the morning I am all filled up with silliness!

Timothy: I think the silliness fills you up while you’re sleeping.

Katherine: And then maybe it leaks out during the day, so you’re not as silly by evening.

C: No, Mom, I can be silly at night too. Watch: bleahbleahbleah!!!

On a great-grandmother's death

Submitted by clara on November 17, 2008 - 5:16pm

[Clara hears the news.]

Clara: I think we should get some flowers for [Grandma] Nanny to cheer her up.

Timothy: Yeah, actually, I think that’s a great idea. read more...

Spanish

Submitted by clara on November 7, 2008 - 10:03pm

Clara: Mom, I can count in Spanish. Uno, dos, tres, quatro, fingo, seis.

Mom: Wow, that’s great!

Clara: And, do you know how to say “Yes?”

Mom: ¿En Español? ¿Como?

Clara: Nope, it’s “Si.”