Passing the Torch, Part Two

Well, I hosed up the movie attachments to the last post, uploading one twice and leaving one out completely (sigh). Here is the missing one. Journey's greatest challenge at our house was the uncarpeted stairs up to the bedrooms. He found them slippery and scary! For weeks we covered them with painting tarps and then eventually weaned him off those. He did triumph in the end, although he never seemed to take them for granted. Each morning he would make a few "avoidance" trots around the upstairs foyer before turning to face the stairs. He reminded me of the little engine that could - I imagined him chanting, "I think I can, I think I can" to himself as he descended. For those of you who have read the book, "Room", by Emma Donoghue, Journey is one scave* little chap. We are better for having been his foster family.

*This book is narrated by a five-year-old boy who lives with his mom under extremely adverse conditions. They make up "word sandwiches". "Scave" is an adjective to describe being very brave when you actually feel scared.