Dear Kid,

Happy 11^th!

The number 11 is very cool (not necessarily cooler than other numbers, but we’re not talking about other numbers today).

There are all sorts of interesting things about then number 11 that I don’t really understand (including that the number 11 “carries a vibrational frequency of balance.” Say what?) so I’m not going to talk about them. If you want more, you can consult My Friend the Internet your-own-self.

One of the fun facts (excuse me, “easy to understand fun facts”) is that multiplying 11s lets you build Number Eleven Pyramids.

Number Eleven Pyramids
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
Feel free to keep going—it works.

Do you know about elevenses? It’s what you eat around 11am if you happen to be in the UK. If you happen to be in the US, you still eat it but it’s called a coffee break.

The number 11 is important in sports. In football, field hockey, cricket (who knew?), and soccer, there are 11 players on each team. Not in rugby, but they make up for it by having a ball that’s 11 inches long.

There are all kinds of funky tricks for figuring out if a number is divisible by 11. For example, if you add up the odd digits and then add the even digits and take the difference, if the resulting number is a multiple of 11 (including 0), then the original number is divisible by 11. And I repeat, say what? Easier (but perhaps not as interesting) to grab a calculator

Most importantly, the 11^th is today. Hope you can find 11 great things about your day.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Your canine cousin, Anakin, is having a Terrible Trouble. Anakin (as you know) is a puppy Auntie M and Uncle Sean are raising for the wonderful people at Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Poor Anakin is having his Terrible Trouble with The Other Puppy In The House. You know about the other puppy–the one who approaches when Anakin approaches, and who lifts his paw when Anakin lifts his, and lies down when Anakin lies down, but never comes closer than nose to nose and Just Won’t Play.

It’s all very sad and frustrating.

I have no words of wisdom for Auntie M because Booker never had this problem (what with his microscopic legs and all the mirrors on the first floor of our house being above Booker level). I’m not entirely sure what he thinks when he sees another dog being held in someone’s (my) arms. But since he’s also being cuddled, he’s never objected.

Often, when I have nothing pertinent to say, I’ll opt for cheerful irrelevance, which is what I’m doing today.

I have collected 6 Fun Animal Facts that will hopefully cheer you up even if they don’t cheer up Anakin.

1. A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance. So is a large shoe collection. Not naming names.
2. Worms communicate by snuggling. This is how mud-wrestling was originally invented.
3. Rats giggle when you tickle them. Their laugh is so high pitched you need special equipment to hear it. Like teenage girls.
4. Male puppies, when playing with female puppies, will intentionally let the female win. Male puppies are not stupid. Of course, what’s really happening is the female puppies are letting the male puppies think they’re letting the females win.
5. A group of porcupines is called a prickle. How perfect is that?
6. Baby puffins are called pufflings. Too cute.

Hope your mirror, mirror on the wall predicts a wonderful day.

Love, Mom