Little Red

It was a glorious weekend here in Portland.  And in between spring cleaning inside and out, we found time for some play.

Ms L came to me and told me, it was time to for the play, "Little Red Riding Hood."  Well, naturally I assumed I would get to sit back and watch as my delightful and creative children put the play on for me.  I plopped down a little patch of grass and waited.  Ms L looked at me, with that look that says, "what are you doing, Mother?"  SIGH.... I knew that sitting on my butt, soaking up sunshine and culture was not quite how she envisioned my role.

"Now, first we need a forest." Ms L directed.
"Can't we just imagine it?"
"No, you need to get the sidewalk chalk out and draw 500 trees."
"500?! How about 2?" I ask attempting to keep the (oh, lord why does this always happen when Patrick isn't home tone out of my voice.)
"100." Herr director says.
"Three," I say.  (I'm not very fair in the art of negotiations.)
"Fifteen, sounds like a good compromise" N, who up to this point wanted nothing to do with any of it, suddenly interjects into the conversation.
"Okaaaayy....fifteen, but they have to look like maple trees."

Trust me, I drew 15.  Although I confess, some of them might 

have looked more like saplings then full grown trees.

Next came the directions to make houses for Little Red, the Woodcutter and Grandmother.  I decided to become the production manager on this ever growing production and roped N into taking over scenic design and execution.  Below is Grandmothers house.  Apparently, according to N, she lives in an apartment building: 

 

 

 

 

Grandmother's apartment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the Woodcutter's home, complete with place to hang his ax:

Woodcutter's home

I was pressed into making the home for Little Red.  Ms. L added a vase and real flowers:

There was never any doubt who would be Little Red:

We didn't have a hooded cape.  So, Ms L decided that the Wolf, on Little Red's last trip through the forest, ate the hood off of this cape.

N, didn't want to be the Woodcutter.  So, after much deliberation it was decided that he could be the Woodcutter's assistant who was also a Ninja-Karate master.  (although at some point in the rehearsal process, he ditched that role to become a roommate of Grandmother's.  Thus allowing him to not have to do anything but sit and read books)

Fierce Woodcutter's assistant

And now the story:

Once upon a time Little Red went walking through the forest.  Because we had no one to be the wolf, N drew a "Bongo" tiger.  (apparently they are not fierce, and literally play the bongos.)  It was my job to make the sound effects:

Bongo tiger - see bongo under front paws?

Little Red was too fast for the Bongo Tiger. His fierce drumming would not get the best of her! She ran to Grandmother's home.  Where Grandmother (that would be me) and her roommate were waiting. 

"Knock, Knock.  May I come in?"
 "Sure, C'mon in!"
"No, you're supposed to ask if I'm the wolf or not"
"Sigh... Who is it?  Are you the scary wolf?"
"No, it's me Little Red"
"C'mon in"
"Look I brought you chicken, goodies to eat.  There's even maple syrup, from my maple trees in the forest."   

    We then proceeded to "eat" all the goodies she brought us.  Little Red then bid us adieu and went back to her house, on the other side of the forest.   We did this play, and several variations of it, 6 times.  Each time the scenes would get more elaborate.  At one point the Invisible wolf (Ms. L got tired of waiting for Daddy to come home from work, and N refused to be anything but a baby Bongo tiger by version 4) trapped Ms L in a drying rack:

blurry, because she was in a hurry to be free of the wolf!

 Ms L could have done this production all night long.  But, eventually her co-stars grew weary (and hungry) and began to improvise more then she would have liked.  Luckily, she was handed a perfect excuse to end the shenanigans, 
"the sun is starting to set.  It's time to go inside.  End of Play."

The sun, with an Orange.  By Ms. L