Carolyn sent us this picture of Grandpa Ben, Sadie & Pip. She appears very comfortable setting on the couch with Ben as he works on cross word puzzles. Ben is one of the few people I know who works them with a pen. It's not a question of his getting all the words filled in but how many minutes it takes him to do it. I hope Sadie will continue to "work" with Grandpa Ben in working cross word puzzles to build her vocabulary. I read recently about the correlation between the size of vocabulary and IQ score. It also related the "average" number of words that people learn during their developing years. The number for young children was almost unbelievable. I suspect Sadie will far exceed those averages. I enjoy reading George Will, the syndicated columnist because it is seldom that he doesn't include a new word for me. During my working career, I had the privilege of associating with many well educated people which helped my vocabulary. I also had the opportunity to work on highway construction, in a packing house and a variety of other jobs. The meaning of some words have changed considerable during my understanding of them. I believe Sadie will be able to rapidly assimilate a substantial vocabulary and will continue its expansion.
Dad, Actually Ben doesn't use a pen for the crossword puzzles. He says he has "neither the confidence or the cockiness" to do that.
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