Hold the Mayo Please

My darling daughter, who never fails simultaneously delight and endear me, is brilliant beyond measure.

That conclusion is not tinged with even the slightest hint of inobjectivity. I promise.

Today is the 5th of May - Cinco De Mayo! Because we reside in an area of the California Coast dominated by a rich cultural heritage steeped in Spanish, Indian, Mexican, and Latin influences, those holidays which celebrate this heritage are endorsed with rousing amplitude. Cinco De Mayo is heartily embraced here ~ announced and observed with remarkable fanfare, traditional flourishes, and lots of joyful family festivities.

This evening, our local news program ran the words "HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO" in bold scroll across the bottom of the TV screen for much of the broadcast. Nearing the end, LaLa asked me:

"What does 'C.I.N.C.O.' spell? And what does it mean?"

I told her: "CINCO means 'five' in Spanish."

"Thanks Mom. What does D.E. spell?"

"De is another Spanish word. It means 'of', I think."

Silence.

"Well, why does the TV say 'happy five of mayonnaise'?"

My heart took a picture. While the rest of me giggled and hugged my accidentally hilariously literal little girl.