#thoons

[kjscranes]

#990. Rowan and I made one crane each from computer paper. Here’s mine watching Sun and the Wolf play at Fodfest 2026.

[kjscranes]

#799. Chocolate bar wrapper crane, held by Dad, Rat, Soph, Bone, and Wigs.

[kjscranes]

#792-794. Made from Christmas cracker jokes, modeled by my beautiful sister and her nibblets.

[kjscranes]

#757, 758. Modeled by Uncle Biv, made from the wrappers of the Whittaker’s chocolate bars he brought us (delicious).

[kjscranes]

#725-728. Construction paper cranes in England, after leading an impromptu crane-making seminar for Rowan, Jonah, and Grandpa Rabble. Counting all four as mine cuz it was a very hands-on seminar. Jonah’s is “scrumpled” because Jonah didn’t like that the wing decorations weren’t identical to Rowan’s.

[thesnug]

Clarity

Aunt Bone: Where’s your snood? Aunt Wigs: In my suitcase. Aunt Mary: What’s a snood? Aunt Wigs: It's... something Bone made me.

[thesnug]

Walking on the beach with fellow 'Thoons

December 2011:

Roshanne: What kind of shell is this? Rosie: I don't know. But this hole was made by a Boring Clam. KJ: As opposed to an interesting clam? Rosie: They bore with what's called a radula. It looks like a cheese grater without holes; all snails have them. KJ: A cheese grater without holes? What? Rosie: You know, just the sharp bits. KJ: How? Rosie: The sharp parts scoop the shell into the mouth. KJ: Like a cat? Rosie: And they collect iron and use that too. KJ: What?!

Dad: Hey, what's the collective noun for boring clams? Dad: A yawn! KJ: What's a yorn? KJ: Ohh you mean "yawn." Dad: I'm not going to say "yohn," it's pronounced "yorn." KJ: You're so misunderstood in your own time. Roshanne: I got it! KJ: Yeah, but you're used to his speech problem. Dad: I don't have a problem! And that joke was jolly funny!

[thesnug]

A chaos of Arathooons

Moments from July's family reunion: Uncle Dub is leaning in to read the foreign writing on Uncle Rat's hat. Translating it aloud, he says, "Can I--have--a--cold--beer?" From around the kitchen, Cousin Sooz's voice flutes, "One cold beer, coming up!"

* * *

Aunt Wigs and Cousin Sooz are reminiscing about a holiday from their childhoods: Wigs: Oh yes, and that was the holiday where someone got stung by a scorpion. Sooz: We were staying at the beach-- Wigs: --and we got stranded by the tide, and got horribly scraped and cut up trying to get back. Sooz: And Piersey and Lou chased me and locked me in the outside toilet-- Wigs: --yes! Sooz: And then they stole the car, and drove to the liquor store, in third gear the whole way. Wigs: That's right. Sooz: And they bought a bottle of liquor and buried it in the back yard. They called it "The Gent," as a code word, and they used to say "Oh, let's go visit The Gent!" And they thought they were getting away with it--and then on the day we left Daddy said "Tell the Gent I said hello." Right as we were driving off. Wigs: And I got so badly sunburned-- Sooz: Did you? Wigs: It was awful, I was covered in blisters and Lou sat up with me all night applying cold rags to my skin. Sooz: I'd forgotten that. [a moment of reflective silence.] Wigs: I thought that was a great holiday. So exciting!

* * *

Rat, Dub, Sooz, and Lou have just arrived back from the store: Rat: And while we were parking, we saw a bumper sticker that said "I Love Rats." Sooz: And not a camera amongst us! So I went into the shop and found a man who was arranging flowers-- Dub: He wasn't arranging flowers, he was buying them. Sooz: And I asked if they sold disposable cameras, and he said they didn't serve English people! Dub: He didn't actually say that, I just told you he did. So then we went to the next store-- Sooz: And I asked if they sold to English people, and they said yes. Rat: And then I was wandering through and looking a bit lost. And a salesman asked if I needed help looking for something, and I said "Not unless you know what my brother looks like." Then I walked off, and Lou came around the corner, and I had to say, "No, no, a different brother!" And then Dub came around the corner...

* * *

KJ: These are so good! How exactly do you make them? Lou: Well, they're portabello mushrooms, covered in Parmesan cheese, with bacon and butter. Dad: That reminds me, I need to go take my gout pill.