Whistle

I was a wee thing when I learned how to whistle.  I remember it being a magical thing, putting your mouth in just the right position so that when you blow air out, a whistling sound is made.  My father whistled from time to time and I must have asked him or my mother how it was done.   It's not easy to explain how to whistle.  You can demonstrate what you do with the outside of your mouth, shaping your lips, and you can explain how you position your tongue inside your mouth.  But for the most part, it's experimentation until you figure out what to do.

I was determined to whistle.  I think I tried all possible configurations of lips, teeth and tongue and still nothing.  Air whiffing.  Breezy silence.  And then one morning I hit on the right position.  It must have been o-dark-o'clock when I went in to demonstrate to my parents because for some reason, they weren't all that excited.  They seemed practically sleepy.

They were excited for me though, once they woke up.  It took a few more days but I mastered not only making a whistling sound, but controlling the tone so I could whistle tunes.  And I've never stopped.

I'm not sure how many people whistle regularly, but I do.  I need to pay attention for a few weeks and see if I notice anyone whistling around me.  I know I whistle all the time.  I whistle to songs in the car, I whistle the tune that's in my head—and they're always a tune in my head—and I whistle here and there and I am guessing I could probably catch myself whistling a handful of times each day.   I love to whistle.

Maybe I'll notice other people whistling, but I think it's not as common an occurrence in many people's lives as it is in mine.

The Big Boy Update:  Rolling the red lid.  He took the red lid off a toy and realized it could roll if he pushed it while it was on his side.  It was interesting to watch him trying to keep the lid balanced enough and push it just enough to get it to roll and not fall down.  He's thinking about objects in different ways lately and doing more experimentation.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  On and off the ottoman.  She pushed a little truck up to the ottoman the other day and figured out she could use it to climb on top of the ottoman.  She would sit on top and look very happy and momma would look worried that she was going to fall backwards off and knock her noggin.  But she would scoot backwards off the ottoman and then repeat the process.  She never fell. 

Fitness Update:  Half marathon race day.  My neighbor and I were signed up for the half marathon and Uncle Jonathan was doing the 10K.  He ran with us through the 10K and then kept going.  All the way to the half marathon finish line, beating us by two seconds and more than doubling his longest run ever.  I beat my half marathon best time by seven minutes, but the congratulations of the day go to Uncle Jonathan. 

Someone Once Said:  Anything free costs twice as much in the long run or turns out worthless. Not philosophy, fact. One way or other, what you get, you pay for.