the men of tomorrow

From yesterday's visit - Eli and his cousin on his father's side, Dakota. Anna says that looking at Dakota is to know how Eli will look at four. He is a very talkative young man. Yesterday he and I got to know each other on the seat swing at the back of the garden. "Let's get high," he said, so we did, he pushing us with his little green Crocs. We talked about flowers and bugs, and then we sat still for a brief moment, and he turned to me and said, "I know everything."

And I thought, you know, you probably do - and you'll forget it all so soon.

Later I offered him some raspberries and he told me he loved raspberries. But he looked with dismay at the little red things on his plate. "I only like raspberries in peanut butter sandwiches," he said.

I would have liked to follow the contours of Dakota's mind in more depth, but after a few hours of answering questions was exhausted. Anna is looking after him for a few days because she loves him. This is a girl who has volunteered to take in a four year old while looking after her own always hungry newborn in a small apartment with only a small window air conditioner. They'll be out a lot. It's supposed to go up to 36 today, which with the humidity will feel much higher. A body of clean water nearby would be welcome.