I picked up the phone to hear a small, rather decidedly 
gruff voice address me by name.

"I am the Chief of Robbers", it said "and I am coming to
stay over at your place with forty men."

"Okay," I replied, not betraying any fear "then I shall cook
dinner without salt today." "No, no, Maushi, how will I 
eat then?" the voice asked, worried and not really ( Read more... )

All languages, silli was taught, are codes. They are widely understood 
only because the speakers of a language share the key to that code.

Codes remind me of summers spent with Ni. He could devise all 
kinds of written codes - there is one I still remember (it was inspired by 
something we read in Cub or Misha.) How seriously we took the code 
stuff  ( Read more... )

Thank you 
( Read more... )

Nieces rock...

particularly when they are four months old,
plump and bald with big black eyes. When you pick them up,
they give you toothless smiles, babble at you and use their
chubby little hands to grab at anything within reach - the
ultimate objective being to put it in their mouths.

And when you put them down and say "Ta-ta", they bawl
loudly until ( Read more... )