A Mess by Any Other Name . . .

is not the same. Today, right before bed, David opened the hall closet and pulled out an old tube of Christmas wrapping paper. He unrolled it and the house quickly filled with the loud crinkle of paper while I cleaned up the last remnants of dinner. Within a few minutes I found C&D walking over the paper, by this time unrolled like a red carpet through the entire length of the kitchen. Crackle, crackle, four feet marched up and down on the paper. Carmen was saying something as she marched . . . and I eventually made it out to be "oh-de-brish," or, in English, "over the bridge." She was marching on a paper bridge. I didn't have the heart, especially after hearing that, to put the paper away so I left it out a little while longer.