All this week I will have the unusual pleasure of arriving in the predawn dark at Mabel's house while she is still asleep. And spending the early morning with her and participating once again in the wake-up rituals while her mother is away on a business trip.
Mabel kept me on track during this first morning – as I attempted to follow the getting-ready-for-school routine she knows so well. After eating breakfast and washing up and getting dressed, we had more than enough time to make a ramp for the matchbox cars, using books. Mabel decided we should take turns guiding cars down the ramp and into the garage.
When my cars reached the top of the ramp they tended to be frightened and unwilling to start down. They would hook their back wheels over the edge of the book, like brakes. Mabel would have to come over and talk to the hesitant little vehicle in an encouraging voice – "you don't need to be frightened, it will be ok, don't worry."
