Granny, do your teeth sing?

I realize I've been kind of moody lately--and I'll be frank, it's because we're moving in a few weeks. I've only lived here for two years, but already I have a deep affinity for it, and it's breaking my heart. Well...not that bad. But the way my chest hurts when I think about it might indicate that.

But I am actually a happy person. So, in order to keep up that image (and also because I had nothing philosophical to say today), I'm going to post about a lighter subject. So, here it is...

My sister lost a tooth yesterday. She was all excited. She's ten years old but doesn't write well yet, so she asked me to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy for her. Now, in our family, we get to ask the Tooh Fairy for candy or a small trinket or food item, as well as money. The Tooth Fairy has left me something that looks suspiciously like it's from the dollar store as many times as she's helped me out of dire financial straits (one time so I could buy Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" and another time so I could buy some plastic "jewels" for my pet frog's tank). I've often--but not as often as my sister--asked her questions, to which she replies ambiguously. Most of the time.

But yesterday, my sister asked: "Do Catherine's teeth sing?"

Which surprised me, but it shouldn't have. I sing all the time. Spirituals, folk songs, and, especially Jacobite songs--I'm working on a project I'll tell you about later--and so on. It's quite natural that my teeth should, too. The Tooth Fairy confirmed this fact, writing (in her handwriting which didn't look so much like Mum's when I was getting notes from her): "Her teeth sing all the time!"

Another singing story is that when I was playing with some friends, they were teaching us clapping games that they knew. I didn't know any, but I'd made one up to a cute folk song: "Granny, Will Your Dog Bite?"

It's a simple game. Clap your hands together, then you and your partner clap right hands, clap together again, then you and your partner clap left hands. Repeat that until you get to "No, child, no!" when you wave your pointer finger in the air and shake your head sort of in time to the music. The lyrics are this:

Granny, will your dog bite,
Hen peck, cat scratch?
Granny, will your dog bite,
Sow root in the tater patch?
Granny, will your dog bite,
Old gray goose hiss?
Granny, will your dog bite?
No, child, no!

I suggested to my friend that we up the tempo, as she had asked me where the song came from. Aubrey Atwater does it on her CD, "Daily Growing", and in that one, she starts the kids singing it responsively, then she starts playing it faster...and faster...and faster! I've seen her do this live, and it's hilarious to be a part of. You have to sing incredibly fast, and she's up there pounding away at the banjo at a speed that would probably go on the Autobahn (if she were driving a car) and by the end, everybody is giggling. Anyway, after hearing and seeing that, I can't do it really slow for too long. We did up the tempo a little bit, but not too much.

My friend's sister--my sister's friend, as well!--overheard and wanted to try. With her, we did up the tempo quite a bit, but it still didn't quite match that. For one thing, we were in a restaurant, and we were in danger of hitting patrons, knocking over glasses, and stuff like that! It was pretty funny. We did clapping games (like "Concentration") because our game of jerking the place mats around wasn't working because there were water glasses.

Now, besides sharing a couple of slightly amusing stories, I imagine you'll think I'm insane. That's fine with me. If this is insanity (which actually, I don't think it is), I might as well be insane. It's fun!