Naked people are funny. (?)

Am coming down with a cold and wanted nothing more this morning to crawl back under the covers and hide for the rest of the day. Drank a lot of coffee and took a long time to wake up-- so it surprised me how good it felt to get outside and do our usual hike in the woods. The sun was shining, and the weather was crisp and clear. The ruts in the paths had frozen over and we really enjoyed finding patterns made by air pockets in the ice.

At least this outing distracted S and B from their favorite song. One of those charming schoolyard ditties that's wearing my nerves thin lately-- "In Africa and America girls walk around with their bottoms bare!" And this sung lustily at the top of their lungs. (It rhymes in Flemish, but that doesn't make it any more endearing.)

I've tried reasoning with them: YOU ARE AMERICANS! Have you ever seen girls walking around in the States in the nude?!

To which they invariably answer "YES!" and fall to the ground in giggles.

I realized this morning why this all sounds so familiar. I have a distinct memory of being just that age and torturing my mother with:

"There's a place in France, where the naked ladies dance. There's a hole in the wall where the men can see it all"

What comes around goes around...