A STAR IS BORN

Gasoline prices be damned, I drove to Pittsburg today, 240 miles round trip, to see my great niece Madelaine perform in a dance recital. Never mind that I had to sit through 21 other group performances before the 3-4 year old production, "It's All How You Look At It" came on stage. Maddie was terrific and it was worth the wait. I'd never seen her all gussied up and prettified before. She typically prefers being barefooted, dirt and food smudged on her face, with her hair flying behind her, but here she was in her little purple ballet tutu, looking like a princess. At home, she's a wild child dashing about carelessly, but now she was all precision, keeping with the beat of the music, making all the right moves and facial expressions. Incredible. Later she returned to the stage with a smaller group, shaking colorful streamers to "Rainbow in Your Eyes." Bravo! Bravo!

When we got back to my sister's home, I showed Maddie the digital pictures I'd taken of her at the recital. In true fashion, she was more interested in the pictures of my cat Muffin, which were still on the camera from a previous shoot. No longer the dancing diva, she was back to being the funny little girl with the knack for bizarre conversations.

"Hey, Aunt Nancy, what's Miss Muffin do all day long?"
"Oh, she eats, and sleeps, and gives back scratches."

"What does she eat?"
"Science Diet."

"Where does Miss Muffin sleep?"
"Oh, just about any place."

"Does she play with your other cats?"
"No, she doesn't like them very much."

"Does she play with dogs?"
"Nope. She stays inside."

"Hey, Aunt Nancy, can you suck your toes?"
"NO!!!"

"I can suck my toes."

---Ah, Maddie has apparently discovered the key to becoming a successful prima ballerina. Toe sucking. What do you think?