Pied Piper

Clio is currently obsessed with Olivia, the books about a British Pig written and illustrated by Ian Falconer. She is particularly enamored of Olivia Forms a Band, in which Olivia and her family plan a trip to see some fireworks and Olivia insists that "you can't have fireworks without a band," then sets out to become the band herself. There is a fold-out page with a "real band," and Clio can now identify all the instruments: Tuba, trombone, trumpet, drum, cymbals, flute, drum (and baton.) Last weekend, when reading this book before her nap, I mentioned that we in fact had a flute in the house, and that perhaps I would show it to her when she woke up. Of course, I forgot all about this promise until we read the book again before bedtime, and I again mentioned that perhaps, after a nice long sleep, I would introduce her to my flute. Sure enough, the next day she remembered, and I pulled it out of its case and dug up some music and demonstrated how to play.

(I also remembered that, much like all of our cameras, my first flute was a hand-me-down from my aunt Missy, who gave me her old when when she upgraded; I was seven or eight, and I think she must have been in college, or just out)

Clio, of course, felt that she should have a turn, but when she couldn't master actually playing the flute, she thought the next best thing was to play with the flute, which she continued to do until it made Dave too nervous and I had to take it away....
...and send him right out the next day to get her her very own Clio-ready version. Which seemed like a very good idea... until she figured out how to make it make noise. Lots of lots of noise. And as far as she is concerned, there is no need to attempt any kind of tune when you can just make a big, loud whistle.

As for the rest of us, I think this was the first time Dave had heard me play (to be clear, I haven't actually played in years), and while I was quite out of tune and the instrument itself is tarnished and a bit unloved, he suggested that I could play for him during his showers. I thought he was being very mean, but he assures me he's not kidding.