“None of them,” she said, “but the chicken is not as bad as the rest.”

“What chicken?” Parker almost yelled.

She pointed to the eagle.

“That’s an eagle,” Parker said.  “What fool would waste their time having a chicken put on themselves?”

—“Parker’s Back,” by Flannery O’Connor

Dear Dixie,

They’re still trickling in.  Another new victim of learning today.  Her name’s Debbie and she’s been a student here for several years, even last year, but the last two weeks of another school this year weren’t going real good.  So welcome back, Debbie. 

Debbie knows the scene and she scoots into the classroom and asks me if I have seating assignments and I said you can sit on Petal's head if you want. 

She made a funny face like ain’t nothing’s changed around here.

I gave the pack of first-day handouts to Debbie so she’d start to get caught up with the rest of the class.  On the first handout in the pack there’s a picture of Tomo-chi-chi and his little nephew who’s holding an eagle in his lap.  All that’s right by my e-mail address on the page and my name so they know my name.  You’d be surprised.  In the heat of the passion of answering a question together with all the frantic arm and hand wiggling they sometimes forget your name even though frantic arm and hand wiggling always gets my attention enough. 

I told Debbie Tomo-chi-chi’s nephew was called Toonahowi (which is true) and I don’t know if the eagle had a name (which I really don’t) and moments after the etching was over they ate the eagle.  They sure did eat that eagle.

Debbie looked at me for a long time, and then back at the picture of the famous etching, and said … What a couple of _____ _____.

She must have learned that one at her old school.

Next Entry ... August 31: Wiggling Off The Joint