I had to look it up: fashion models are required to look glum on the runway in order to avoid taking the focus away from the clothing they are wearing. In other words, perhaps if they smiled, they would look too beautiful for us to bother caring about their clothing. This doesn’t make much sense to me. Why hire those who have, ostensibly, the most perfect faces and then tell them— “Go out there and knock ’em dead! —but not too dead. We don’t want actual dead people, so look as average as possible.” Why not just hire average people and let them smile? In sum, I don’t buy it. I think there’s another reason they’re required to look glum, and I think I know what it is: glumness is currently in fashion. Smiles come and go! Here is a woodland setting with facially fashionable children. Uh, wait. Isn’t it fashionable for children to smile? Oops…

For Akiva’s first day of first grade at his new school, I sewed him a new backpack! The design is all my own, fully lined, in two colors of orange canvas with generous and deep water bottle pockets, a rear pocket, and a MONSTER pocket on the flap. The shoulder straps are padded with felted wool from old sweaters. The closure under the flap is a drawstring— my favorite kind.

Although designed for school books, it works fine for walks in the woods, too.

When we get to the place of the Grandparent Trees,

Iris demonstrates the effects of centripetal force.

Akiva demonstrates his own sort of force.