03x09 - Sticker Shock/A Song for Lola

[bunniefuu]

Hey, everyone-- it's me, Molly!

♪ Molly of Denali

Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali

[laughing]: Whooo!

♪ By plane or sled or snowshoe ♪

♪ She is ready to explore

♪ From Kaktovik down to Juneau ♪

♪ Always wanting to learn more ♪

Yeah!

♪ Together with her best friend Tooey ♪

♪ Always by her side And Trini!

♪ Discovering the outdoors

♪ On adventures day and night

♪ Come along with Molly

♪ Molly

♪ Through fields of fireweed

♪ Come along with Molly

♪ Molly

♪ From tundra to the sea

Mahsi'choo-- let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali

Yeah!

♪ She's Molly of Denali

♪ Come on ♪ Let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali

♪ She's Molly of Denali

MOLLY: "Sticker Shock!"

[Luka whimpers]

[sniffing]

[whines]

[barks]

Bet you love having your favorite brothers

home from college, Little Wolf.

[weakly]: Uh, yeah.

But I don't love carrying their boxes.

[grunts]

What's in here?

Your rock collection?

Yeah!

Look at these beauties.

Ah, aha!

Usuaq Cumikluten!

[grunting]

Wow, you've gotten good.

I was always good.

I've gotten better.

Maybe I'll teach you

some college-level basketball moves later on.

Cool!

Wait, what does usuaq cumiklutenmean again?

That's "you, pay attention."

Looks like you could do with some more Yup'ik lessons, too.

Yes, please!

Huh?

Mmm...

Hm.

What?

That's my toothbrush!

Oh.

[chuckling, mouth full]: Here you go!

Ew!

You could at least wash it off.

John and I were always mixing up our toothbrushes at college.

But we found a solution.

Behold the SwifTech Labelpro !

What's that?

A label maker.

See, you type in your name here, press print,

and everyone knows this belongs to you.

That is so cool!

Borrow it if you like.

Quyana,Jay!

[John playing harmonica]

Here, better label this, too.

[cackles][sighs]

♪

[labels tearing]

♪

Is that so I know which of my sons is Tooey?

[giggles]

It's a long story.

John and I bought a label maker at school

so he would stop using my stuff.

Actually, it was so Jay would stop using my stuff.

Well, if it helps you boys get along, I'm all for it.

Hey, that's my basketball!

Is it?

I don't see a labelon it.

[grunts]

Oh, yeah, that reminds me!

I promised Molly and Oscar I'd practice with them.

Oops!

[giggles]

[chuckles]

[sighs]

I've gotta warn you,

John and Jay are home,

and they're gonna teach me some college-level basketball moves.

[grunts]

That's good.

Looks like you really need 'em.

[laughs][chuckles]: Yeah, yeah.

Hey, why does it say

"Tooey" on your basketball?

So I know which one is mine.

You know how we're always getting

our basketballs confused?

And our water bottles!

Vera had mine for a whole week!

Well, I can fix that.

♪

[label tearing]Ta-da!

Wow, thanks!

Oh, that reminds me.

♪

There.

How about you, Molly?

Want a label for your bottle?

Mm, that's okay.

I know which one mine is.

The one without the label.

Mm, suit yourself.

[laughs]: You labeled your backpack, too?

Is there anything you haven't labeled yet?

Oh, I'm just getting started.

Whoa, he's so organized!

Hey, that's the hook I use.

[label maker whirs]

[whistles]

Hm.

Huh?

That's my comic.

You can read it, though.

[label printing]

That's my mug.

Okay, you can drink now.

You know, in college,

Jay and I just labeled important stuff, like toothbrushes.

To me, all of this stuff is important.

I labeled my backpack, my water bottle, my basketball.

[gasps]: Oh, no!

I left my basketball on the court!

♪

Huh!

Hey, Tooey!Hey!

Waqaa,guys!

What's that?

That's Tooey's label maker.

See, he labeled my water bottle.

Cool-- how does it work?

I'll show you!

Hm, now what can I label?

Oh, I know!

There.

That's my favorite seat at the picnic table.

Good to know.

I almost sat there.

Me, too.

Ooh, can I label my favorite spot, too?

Me, too!And me!

Sure.

♪

And this is...

Oscar's other spot.

That's if the first one is taken.

Now we'll never have to ask where we're supposed to sit.

Quyana,Tooey.

Oh, don't thank me.

Thank my label maker.

Yeah, label maker!Uh-huh, mm-hmm, yeah!

♪

Waqaa,Molly!

Hey!

So you're still labeling everything?

Yeah, and, um,

I think you might be sitting in Oscar's favorite spot.

Oh, sorry.

TRINI: Now you're in my spot.

Uh, okay.

VERA: Nope.

[grumbles]

Uh... Mm...

"Oscar's other spot"?

Right.

Well, I guess I'll just stand.

No, no, sit!

We'll just relabel it.

So Oscar's second-favorite spot

will now be Molly's first-favorite spot.

But then where will my second-favorite spot be?

Your second-favorite spot can be my first-favorite spot.

And Vera's second-favorite spot

can be your first-favorite spot.

Or maybe Molly could sit at another table,

one that isn't labeled?

So I can't even sit with my friends now?

We're just trying to keep things organized.

Can I please just make youa label?

Fine, fine!

Here, I'll do it.

No, I'll do it for you.

I got it-- how hard can it be?

No, really, I got it.

No, I do.

[grunting, Molly gasps]

[panting]

[beeping, whirring]

Oh, no!

It's broken!

[gasps]: Uh-oh!

[beeping, whirring]

Can you fix it?

Is it broken for good?

I'll get you a new one.

[exhales]: I don't know.

It cost me $.

What?!

[laughs]: I'm kidding, Little Wolf.

I bet we can fix it.

Where's that instruction manual?

Look in the table of contents for a troubleshooting section.

TOOEY: Troubleshooting, found it!

It's on page .

JAY: The section is organized

by different problems a label maker can have.

TOOEY: "Ink Too Faint, Battery Light Blinking"-- here we go!

"Jams"!

"To fix a jam, take off the back of the label maker

and pull the bent label through the label slot."

That's the solution.

Take off the back.

Pull the bent label through the slot.

Now we remove this extra label piece.

There.

Good as new.

Phew!

You're almost out of labels.

This was full when I lent itto you.

We used a lot of them labeling the picnic table

by the basketball court.

Why were you labeling the picnic table?

Um, so we know whose spot belonged to who?

Tooey, that picnic table is for everyone.

Some things shouldn't have a label.

Respecting and sharing things

is a big part of how our community works.

Yeah, you're right.

Molly actually got kinda upset with me about it.

I'm gonna apologize to her.After that,

clean up those labels, and then,

I think I know how we can put this to good use.

JAY: Malaqqayaq.

That's "hat" in Yup'ik.

Quyana,Jay!

Whew!

That's enough labeling for one day.

Now, can you teach me those college-level basketball moves?

Sure.

Let me just brush my teeth first.

Wait!

That's my toothbrush!

Jay!

Hey, everyone!

Molly here to answer your questions about life in Alaska.

Nita from Phoenix, Arizona, asks,

"Why do people mush dogs in Alaska?"

It's a cultural tradition

from before snow machines were invented.

BOTH: Hi, Molly!

Right now, we're in Willa,

which is the traditional homeland

of the Dena'ina people.

♪

BOY: We are meeting with Matt and Liz.

They're gonna take us out dogsledding.

Right now, they're hooking the dogs up.

[dogs barking and whining]

These dogs love racing,

and they're good at it.

BOY: Man, they love to run.

GIRL: We met eight different dogs.

MATT: We can run boy dogs and girl dogs.

And so to demonstrate that today,

we have Mr. Premiere...Mr. Premiere.

...and Miss Foxy.

GIRL: Matt taught us some commands to say to the dogs.

To get the dogs to go,we say,

"Ready, all right."

MATT: One, two, three!KIDS: All right!

Haw is left and gee is right.

BOY: Gee!

GIRL: These dogs really worked together as a team.

♪

BOY: When you're holding on on the sled,

we have to bend our knees so we keep our balance.

So if the sled's tilting right,

you lean left.

And if we turn left,

we should lean right.

That helps the sled not tip over

and it keeps everyone safe.

GIRL: We stopped to make snow angels with the dogs.

They're rolling in the snow

because they got really hot while they're running.

They don't have to bundle up like us

'cause they have their coats built in.

That was awesome.

After our sled ride, we made sure to thank all the dogs.

We scratched them behind their ear and told them, "Good job."

[dogs barking]

They worked really hard-- it's time for some water.

♪

BOTH: Bye, Molly!

Mahsi'choo!

Thanks for asking and see you next time!

MOLLY: "A Song For Lola."

GRANDPA NAT: Mahsi'choo for the blueberries.

I've been thinking about making our nivagiall week.

Save some nivagifor me, Schada'a!

I'll set aside a big bowl for you, Shgguya.

[bell rings]Molly, guess what!

Whoa!

Whew!

Sorry, Grandpa Nat.

That's okay! [laughs]

What's the hurry?

My Lola Miranda is coming!

Your grandma?

All the way from the Philippines?

She's on the road from Anchorage with Auntie Midge now!

My parents sent me to invite you all

to a welcome back dinner at the co-op the day after tomorrow.

Sounds like fun!

We'll be there. [laughs]

Great!

I want to find her a gift-- any ideas?

Hm.

How about a basketball?

No.

Or a puppet?

Uh, that's not right.

Ooh, what about this wolf hat?

That is nice, but I want it to be something really special.

Something that, you know, honors my lola.

GRANDPA NAT: What about a song?

A song?

Oh, yeah!

I remember when we gifted a song to Auntie Merna.

Lots of Alaska Native people have traditions

to create a song and dance for someone you want to honor.

Auntie Merna said it was the best gift she ever got.

She sure did.

Well, I better get going before these blueberries thaw out.

Good luck!

Gifting a song.

That sounds really cool.

What was the song like?

I remember we were in the tribal hall.

First, Grandpa Nat explained what the song was about:

all the things Auntie Merna's done.

[drumming lightly]

Then, my mom and Auntie Midge danced

about the important work Auntie Merna does

to help other people.

I've never seen Auntie Merna with such a big smile.

Wow, it must have meant a lot to her!

Are all gifted songs so serious?

All the ones I've seen were really serious.

Although, I've only seen that one.

Okay, I'll do it.

Only, I'm not the best singer.

But you're an amazing dancer-- you can dance and I'll...

♪ Sing

[laughing]

We should give it to her

at the dinner the day after tomorrow!

But we'll have to work fast.

What are the songs about?

They're usually like a biography--

information about a person's life.

What do we know about your lola?

That's easy.

Lola Miranda is from the Philippines.

She teaches dance and, um,

she's the best lola in the world!

[laughs]: I'm not sure that's enough for a song.

My mom probably knows a bunch more.

MOLLY: "Lola Miranda was born in the Philippines

and came to Qyah when she was a girl."

And then she moved back to the Philippines and had me.

MOLLY: "Moved back to Philippines."

Oh, and she teaches Filipino dance in San Fernando.

MOLLY: "Teaches Filipino dance."

[phone vibrates and chirps]

Hello?

Mom, you're here!Is this the right type of information?

It's important, but it doesn't seem serious enough.

Yeah.

We should try to get more information.

Maybe we could get your lola to tell us more stories

without her knowing what it's for.

Your lolais here!

She's over at Veek'aiiMidge's having tea!

Let's go!

There's my Vera!

Lola!

[both exclaim]

I missed you so much!

Sorry, Linda.

I wasn't going to keep her from you too long.

As if Mibs could stop me.

Mibs?

Who's Mibs?

Me!

It's your lola'snickname for me.[chuckles]

Mibs and Miranda!

BOTH: Ooh! Ah!

[both ululating]

[laughing]

Wow, I didn't know you two had been friends for so long!

I bet you have some great stories.

Ooh, we have tons of them!

Ooh, I almost forgot!

I brought this little gift for my apo.

[gasps]: Wow!

Uh, why are you putting a pot on your head?

There are dances in the Philippines

where women dance with pots on their heads

to help tell a story.

This one is by the Kalinga people.

[gasps]: Whoa!

Whoop!

[exhales]: Sorry.

You're doing great!

I remember the first time I saw Miranda do that dance.

[Auntie Midge and Miranda laugh]

We were in Kodiak, and I wanted to practice it,

but I didn't have a clay pot.

So I use a mixing bowl.

Full of lingonberries!

I was balancing it on my head when I heard Mibs at the door.

And I turned around too fast!

I found her laying on the floor with lingonberries everywhere.

And Mibs never lets me forget it.

[laughing]

What are some other stories?

Well, there was this one time-- oh!

I just remembered!

Maurice wants to take us out fishing tomorrow!

You're invited, too.

Who knows? Maybe we'll catch so much,

we'll have to carry them on our heads!

Ah, see?

I did learn the right way.

[laughing]

[softly]: Should we put the clay pot story in the song?

[softly]: I wrote it down, but it's not that serious.

Let's keep looking.

♪

Okay, while your lola and Auntie Midge fish,

we'll "fish" for more stories.

Got it!

[laughing]

So, Auntie Midge,

you have lots of funny stories about Miranda,

but anything, uh, more serious?

Serious stories?

Oh, sure.

I remember a very serious story.

You remember Big Irene?

Oh, yeah, Big Irene,

the biggest salmon you ever seen in your life!

What happened?

Miranda caught a salmon this huge!

And she tried to carry that fresh salmon

back to the house herself.

It turns out it was too fresh.

It started flopping around on me right there!

[laughing]Oof!

[yelping and laughing]

But that story wasn't serious at all.

Oh, it was for Big Irene!

That's what we named the fish!

[both laughing]

[drumming softly]

MOLLY [chanting somberly]: And so we honor Lola

for all you do.[bell rings, door opens]

For your serious work, we honor you.[door closes]

Gee, pretty glum around here.

Is that song for a funeral?

No, it's for my lola.

We're gonna perform it at tonight's dinner.

We've been trying to come up with a song to honor her,

but Miranda's stories aren't anything like Auntie Merna's.

Why do you want to make it like Auntie Merna's?

Doesn't a gifted song

have to be very slow and serious like hers?

[chuckles]: The song for Merna was serious because...

[in serious tone]: ...she's a very serious person.

[in normal tone]: But your lolais very different, isn't she?

Oh, yeah, she's always laughing.

Then that's what her song should be like.

A gifted song can be funny, happy, even sad.

It just needs to make who you give it to feel good.

Oh!

Now, tell me, do you have some good stories about Miranda?

Uh-huh.Uh-huh.

We know lots of funny stories about her.

Great!

And I'd be honored to help drum. [chuckles]

Mm, what a great dinner.

You sure know how to welcome someone back to Qyah.

VERA: Lola?

Molly and I have something we would like to give you.

With a little help from Grandpa Nat.

We want to honor you with a song we wrote for you.

[drumming softly]

♪ Lola Miranda, born in the Philippines ♪

♪ As a girl, she came across

♪ The chilly seas

♪ Kodiak was colder

♪ Than where she came from

♪ But her friend Mibs made it warm as the rising sun ♪

♪ Miranda tried to dance

♪ With a pot on her head

♪ But landed on the floor squishing berries instead ♪

♪ She once caught a fish

♪ They called Big Irene

♪ It jumped around like on

♪ A trampoline

♪ Even though Miranda now lives far away ♪

♪ We honor our lola every single day ♪

[cheering and applauding]

Well done, girls! Ang galing nyo!

Mm, you two beautiful girls.

That is the best gift I've ever gotten!

[laughs]: You even got Big Irene in there.

That song was so special.

Mibs and I want to give you two something in return.

Our super-secret friendship handshake!

Ready, Mibs?Ready!

BOTH: Ooh, ah.

[ululating]

[laughing]

BOTH: Ooh, ah.

[ululating]

[all laughing]

♪