Pre-School Parade

As I entered the library this morning to fool around on the internet use the WiFi and download some BBC4 podcasts, this little colourful parade of kiddies nearly crossed my path. They are in front of the historically maintained library-- mush of it as it was in the 1800's... charming but uncomfortable. Behind the parade you can see the fire station in yellow brick and further on there is the white house with the 'widow's walk' on top. That is the funeral home for Oxford.
We are standing upon the site of the Fort Hill pre-revolutionary war (with Britain) encampment and the Indian tribe's meeting place on the banks of the Chenango River-- not in this view.
So, much for the history lesson...
The little group was thankfully not going into the library today. No story time scheduled, I guess. As I took a couple of other snaps for this blip, yet another summer pre-school group came along. They walked down the center of the freshly paved street out of sight to the right in this picture. One teacher pushed the carriage while the other brought up the rear. I assume this is standard safety practice.
The group blocking the street stood in the shade. The children looked older than this lot on the sunny sidewalk. Our "head" (of the line) teacher had taken off down to the shady street to chat with her friends while these children patiently waited. Young children are so good about waiting in the heat of the summer sun for reasons they do not understand. Give them a few more years and you will hear a lot of loud complaints and parental demands for teacher's resignations.
Anyway, I did take a second possible blip. Of course I approached the group (sidewalk). I asked the teacher in the neon green tee shirt first. There is never any question in Oxford when I take people's photos. They love to have themselves blipped when I tell them about it. Even though they will never see the blip (most of the time).

As I approached the front of the line -- the middle of the line with the smart little boys, had sat down on the grass to watch whatever those children in the shade might be up to. The small blonde girl in the front of the carriage wiggled before me, practicing her poses. I recognize this behaviour because it is identical to what my cats do when they see the camera and want to get blipped. I asked her if she wanted to have her picture taken. She jabbered something unintelligible to me. I then noticed a very tiny baby wrapped in a blanket sitting to the left of the large sweaty boy on the carriage seat. The girl began pointing at the baby and commenced informing me in her best 3 year old jabberwacky language the salient biographical information that this 4 month old infant has collected thus far in 2014. I snapped the scene. Very cute, if I do say so myself.
Before escaping to the a/c coolness inside, I took a good look at the chubby boy on the seat next to the baby. He was alarmingly pink and sweaty. It was close to 80ºF in the sun at this point in the day. I mentioned my concern to the rear back of the line teacher. She said that he had refused to remove his coat or walk before the class went on parade. Well, that was that for him, I guess. Learning to suffer from your decisions no matter how stupid they are is an important 'life lesson" for us old ones and this 3 year old boy.
That's the blip for this day. I hope you enjoy it.