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BABIES AND TOYS

Last night just as I was getting home the Ts pulled up in their truck to give us some pamphlets to hand out for the mayoral recall campaign. The Ts are wooden-toy makers who live down in the village in a big log house they built themselves, and where they have been making new and traditional wooden toys for many years now. As this indicates they are a very gentle couple; they have four children of their own, but no grandchildren yet. The fact that they make wooden toys is another big indicator of how much they love kids. So when Echo came to the door to talk to them with one of the twins in her arms, they practically melted on the spot with delight; then when I went in and brought out the other twin in a baby basket (they hadn't heard there were twins) they just about vaporized. For some time they bounced with glee on our veranda, looking at and holding the tiny red new feet, the hands, looking into the eyes and laughing, wanting just to hold the babies ("How small and light they are!"), enjoying the pure delight it is to delight in a newborn child, and this child no direct relation to them. I guess a lot of that love goes into the wonderful wooden toys they're famous for.