This is Ulysses's favorite picture. It came from Ocean Meir at James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation in May, along with a thank-you card she sent me for making baklava for the month's International Lunch, Greek theme. You can see where he's affectionately sucked on the edge of it. He carries it around in the seat compartment of his Sesame Street rider. Every now and then he takes it out and holds it up to admire, looking at the faces of the three animals and saying his word that means "animal": a baby-pitched "Woof, woof!" This applies to all animals: birds, cats, etc. Not fish, though.


He doesn't know about Mickey, or any other Disney character name. They're just fun critters, like any other generic drawings of animals on books or toys. At this point.

We've been pretty sparing with the whole licensed characters thing. The universe of Spongebob Squarepants is the only cartoon world that has been invited wholesale into the household. Don and I are crazy about the li'l square dude. Telletubby Land is also welcome, though we don't have any Telletubby objects. Ulysses loves it there. I didn't get it before I saw it through his eyes. Now I say -- oooh, trippy!

We watched some Sesame Street a few weeks ago, but U didn't dig it. Neither did we grownups. They've changed that show. It's not the charmer we remember from our childhoods. And what the heck is that Elmo's World?! Inane, artless, patronizing, interminable blather!