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We celebrated our “inner lumberjack." Granny cooked a hearty breakfast of flapjacks with maple syrup, bacon, donut holes, and warm spiced apples. Lumberjacks have hearty appetites so everyone had “seconds,” except Paw who had “thirds.”
Believe it or not, the kids had never even heard of Paul Bunyan and the many tall tales that made him famous. We watched the animated “documentary” from Walt Disney in which Paul saves the life of the blue ox he names “Babe,” saves a town, creates mountain ranges and lakes with his various antics, and generally amazes us with his grand size and good heart. (Paw and Granny can’t stop singing the theme song). We had fun making logs out of Swiss Rolls. Paw sliced one of the donut holes and put it on the ends to make it look more real. We got to use sharp steak knives to cut and gently lift the frosting so it looked like bark. Then we ate them. We were cozy and warm in our flannel shirts and tuques, which is how Canadians say “stocking caps.” We had a discussion about whether girls should be called “lumber-jills.” We decided not because it would probably annoy Paul Bunyan. Although we learned a little about logging, the most captivating for us was the petrified wood that Granny’s friend Bonnie brought back from out West. It is truly amazing to see all the bark and wood turned into stone. We had a little coloring contest too. Paw colored Paul Bunyan but didn’t finish in time, so he didn’t win. Lilly tried her very best. She even rewatched part of the cartoon to make sure she got Babe’s horns the right color. Presley worked hard as well. She made the sun two colors and left white space between Babe and the sky. Granny was the judge so she declared a tie for first place and both girls got a prize. We learned all about Granny and Paw’s friend James who is one of the foremost experts on Paul Bunyan. He has an amazing collection of PB art and artifacts we saw online.
”Pecos? Let me take a gander at ya... You steamin' pile of buffalo puckey. You're still ugly.“ - Paul Bunyan
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