Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Gate Of Ingenuity







Our three year old friend, Ella, spent the day with us today. You know how children love to play with things they shouldn't, and one of her favorite "forbidden" toys is the three yardsticks we have. A child's imagination can run wild with these. Sword fights, train tracks, walking sticks, you name it. But here's a real offbeat one that she came up with. She wedged them all in the door frame between the kitchen and living room and made a gate. These photos show the process. She checks it for height, then adjusts the sticks.. Then she sat back and waited for daddy to come in. We all took guesses as to whether he would step over, duck under, or break it down. This is a normal part of the day with a three year old. Strange and wonderful. Something else strange is the names of the gates in Bible times. Ancient citys had to have walls to keep out enemies, so the only way you could enter was through gates. The gates were busy places. Elders gathered there to settle disputes and witness business transactions. And the names they gave these gates were just plain strange. Here are just a few: Fish, Sheep, Fountain, Water, Horse, Muster. Any suggestions on what we name Ella's gate? Psalm 100: tells us "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. for the lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."



3 comments:

SquirrelQueen said...

That is so cute, she is really fascinated by the yard sticks. I never thought of them a toys before. I always knew the city gates of biblical times were busy but I didn't know they had so many names for them.
Judy

MadSnapper said...

a precious child and a precious story. she is so lucky to have you as her sitter. i would never have thought of the gate thing. how smart is that?

MadSnapper said...

that is sad to hear about Harry dean. very sad. the sign was on a baptist sign, the saying, not the part about me. i added that. the sign was saying it is unforunate that this is how our world is now.

The Rooster

 Living pretty much in the country, we have quite a few chickens around here. Every time we come in or go out, a nearby rooster crows. Yet w...