another poetic moment

We got this note in email this morning:

Dear Parents,

The city of Charlottesville is conducting smoke testing in our area. Some smoke entered the school building this morning and we have evacuated all the children. They are all currently in the playground while we are waiting for the smoke to clear.…

They then asked us to retrieve our kids early, so I went in to pick up the boy while he was in the middle of his playground-picnic lunch.

As we were walking to the car, Benjamin was telling me about the smoke. He said, "It twisted the sinews of my heart!"

On the way to school that morning, we had been reciting William Blake:

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

puzzling development

Nathalie bought Benjamin a puzzle for 50¢ at the "Used Resource Sale" at the homeschooling conference. When we got back to the room, he dumped it out and started putting it together. Nathalie asked, "Have you done this puzzle before?"

No, apparently not. He's just suddenly super fast at puzzles — after showing no particular skill with them before. (He wanted to play with puzzles when he got home from school today, so I had already seen his new interest in action. He was fast earlier today, too, but not as fast as he was tonight.) Here's his puzzle, completed:

"I want to scare beavers."

This strange conversation took place this afternoon while we walked in the woods near a beaver dam we never reached:

Benjamin: I want to scare beavers.

Me: Don't do that.

Benjamin: Why?

Me: Why would you want to scare beavers?

Benjamin: If those beavers bother us, I will try to scare them.

Me: They're not going to bother us.

Benjamin: Well, I'm going to scare them.

Me: I really don't understand why.

Benjamin: Oh, for fun.

Me: How would you feel if someone scared you just for fun?

Benjamin: I want to scare beavers just for fun even though I don't want anyone to scare me just for fun.

my architect

OK, our architect.

If Benjamin ever becomes a famous architect or engineer or artist, I think this photo, which his mother took a few minutes ago, will probably become a book cover.

PS When I told Benjamin that an earlier version of this same structure was "the best castle I've ever seen you build," he replied, "Would you like to see me make it even more interesting?"