spring is here

Piglet is moving in to his house again! (Totoro moved out last year) 

The house has been renovated, with landscaping:

Happy Spring!

duck days

She says Pato is cold:

new tenant

Totoro has moved out and there is a new resident...can you guess who?

hope you know your "Winnie-the-Pooh!"

duck days

Yes, Pato the duck even has to take a bath with her. Ducks get dirty, too!

but in his own bathtub

duck days

Pato the duck, put in a new outfit and ready for a new adventure:

I know it looks like he is being held captive but  she says he is wearing his "beautiful decorations"

duck days

I have no idea what this outfit is about, except that it was very elaborate and specific.

I think it was something about eating jelly.

a day in the life of a duck

So, Rain Dragon has had many passions turn into obsessions and then fade away-- the planets, Curious George, penguins, martians...so far, Totoro has remained fairly strong but the only love that has been truly evergreen (from when she was small baby!) is ducks. She loves all ducks but her favorite is the one she named Pato (which is the Spanish word for duck. No, neither I nor her father know any Spanish. It's because we let her watch Pocoyo.). So even though the stuffed animal is official Duck from Duck and Goose (sorry Goose, you were discarded), she will indignantly correct you if you attempt to call him a different name.

Because Pato is her friend in all adventures, wearing outfits and costumes that only a pre-schooler's brain and fingers can make. From swimming to the deep sea:

I think they are looking for a underwater satellite

To wearing protective space suits:

the universal use of tin foil!

and being the patient to her doctoring:

scotch-tape bandages

And birthdays:

which happen daily, instead of yearly

He is her, if not constant, always awaiting companion.

and to sleep, in a sock nightcap and, yes, her duck foot slipper

Wait until you see what else they do!

She loves Dragons love Tacos

(see full image)

"I'm having a taco party with my dragons," she says.

Keeping up with the ducks...

Yes, it's our third "Not-a-fairy" house. We're building a neighborhood!

Because of Totoro

(see full image)

...ducks have temporarily taken a back seat to soot sprites.

Our 2nd "Not-a-fairy" house

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Rain Dragon decided that the neighboring duck needed a house of his own. 

The second day of spring...

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and it is snowing on our Totoro house! He has come to live in our "people" house as his was not made snow-proof..."but at least his food will not go bad," says Rain Dragon cheerfully. 

Not a fairy house

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In order to keep myself from obsessively checking my TedTalk stats, I helped Rain Dragon build a Totoro house. It's very specifically for Totoro. If you call it a fairy house she will correct you with a great deal indignation. 

He needed a house so the ducks could come visit.

Memory pearl

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She is the fearless leader of the league of ducks. 

memory pearl

"I am Rudolph and these are my extra noses," she says, "I need them in case my old nose runs out of batteries."

memory pearl

Rain Dragon: This is me!
Me: I like how you are happy!
Rain Dragon: of course.

memory pearl

Rain Dragon: I am in a cage. It is feeding time at the zoo.

memory pearl

a carousel of shoes

Me: What is this?
Rain Dragon: A merry-go-round, of course!

Duck is on the brown horse, by the way.

memory pearl

This one was confirmed. It is a beaver dam.

memory pearl

We don't know what this is, but she spent all morning making it:

I think it might be a beaver dam