Awh Nuts!
I am one sibling away from a family reunion--and he gets here Monday. I've been cooking and cleaning and doing all those things people do when expecting a full house. Hence, my blog absence. 
I was going to write a blog about a little tiny field mouse coming into my room and scaring the holy bejeezus out of me, but I decided against it. I mean who needs to relive that? Talking to my friend Basil, he very nicely asked me what it felt like to be afraid of mice--what was it that I was actually afraid they might do.
"I don't know, Basil, but something really really bad...like crawl on me or something."
We've been playing kickball every evening after dinner since Jen, Paul and their girls got here. It's been so much fun. When I explained to the girls how to play I told them that if they ever get out they should shake their fist in a "J" and say, "Awh nuts!" Fiona caught on right away, but Sinead was a little hesitant about it. I think, because she is actually too cool for such rehearsed humor. But she eventually got into it. Yesterday when she got out, we all said, "Awh nuts." And she just stood there and kind of pouted and Paul said, "Come on Sinead! Let me hear it!" And she just said in a very level quiet voice, "oh nuts."
Boy, all of us move so much slower and creakier since we were young and on the farm. It's been rainy and wet out so we've all been moving a little cautiously. One time, when Nate was barely moving, he slipped and was at least 3 ft in the air with his body horizontal. It was a hard fall and it took him a minute to get up. Though I wouldn't ever want anyone to get hurt, I have to say, watching people fall down is the funniest thing in the world to me. It's so funny that sometimes there is a split second where I can't even breath for the hilarity of it. Some people--decent, respectable people--can wait a proper moment before they laugh so hard they cut off their air supply. I cannot. I am a big jerkface. I have worked so hard on this, and I can occasionally hold off for the obligatory "see if they are ok" time but only when I don't mind running the risk of rupturing my sinuses. Or peeing my pants.
This little problem of mine has really tainted my reputation as a kind and reasonable person. One time Mom told me a story about PawPaw running after a tire that had somehow made a break for it. It was rolling at a pretty good clip towards a road and PawPaw, not wanting it to cause an accident, ran after it. Well, as he was running down the hill, I imagine that his momentum just became too much for his legs--something I have always been afraid of, myself, running down a hill--and he fell headlong onto his front side. When he got back up to where Grandma was, she saw that he had scraped his chin and nose. And then she noticed he had lost the buttons on his shirt from the slide. Here is where I couldn't hold back any longer as Mom told the story, and I just laughed and laughed and laughed. I actually almost died, truth be told. Mom just shook her head and said that that's when Grandma had started laughing too.
Nate, Dad, Jen, Paul and I played Rook last night. It was so much fun. At some point Nate quoted Dad, "Oh it's just cards, have fun you big baby" to himself. It was something he repeated the rest of the night and had us in stitches. It was basically the adult version of "awh nuts." Just a little something to get us to lighten up a little on our competitiveness.
I was going to write a blog about a little tiny field mouse coming into my room and scaring the holy bejeezus out of me, but I decided against it. I mean who needs to relive that? Talking to my friend Basil, he very nicely asked me what it felt like to be afraid of mice--what was it that I was actually afraid they might do."I don't know, Basil, but something really really bad...like crawl on me or something."
We've been playing kickball every evening after dinner since Jen, Paul and their girls got here. It's been so much fun. When I explained to the girls how to play I told them that if they ever get out they should shake their fist in a "J" and say, "Awh nuts!" Fiona caught on right away, but Sinead was a little hesitant about it. I think, because she is actually too cool for such rehearsed humor. But she eventually got into it. Yesterday when she got out, we all said, "Awh nuts." And she just stood there and kind of pouted and Paul said, "Come on Sinead! Let me hear it!" And she just said in a very level quiet voice, "oh nuts."
Boy, all of us move so much slower and creakier since we were young and on the farm. It's been rainy and wet out so we've all been moving a little cautiously. One time, when Nate was barely moving, he slipped and was at least 3 ft in the air with his body horizontal. It was a hard fall and it took him a minute to get up. Though I wouldn't ever want anyone to get hurt, I have to say, watching people fall down is the funniest thing in the world to me. It's so funny that sometimes there is a split second where I can't even breath for the hilarity of it. Some people--decent, respectable people--can wait a proper moment before they laugh so hard they cut off their air supply. I cannot. I am a big jerkface. I have worked so hard on this, and I can occasionally hold off for the obligatory "see if they are ok" time but only when I don't mind running the risk of rupturing my sinuses. Or peeing my pants.
This little problem of mine has really tainted my reputation as a kind and reasonable person. One time Mom told me a story about PawPaw running after a tire that had somehow made a break for it. It was rolling at a pretty good clip towards a road and PawPaw, not wanting it to cause an accident, ran after it. Well, as he was running down the hill, I imagine that his momentum just became too much for his legs--something I have always been afraid of, myself, running down a hill--and he fell headlong onto his front side. When he got back up to where Grandma was, she saw that he had scraped his chin and nose. And then she noticed he had lost the buttons on his shirt from the slide. Here is where I couldn't hold back any longer as Mom told the story, and I just laughed and laughed and laughed. I actually almost died, truth be told. Mom just shook her head and said that that's when Grandma had started laughing too.
Nate, Dad, Jen, Paul and I played Rook last night. It was so much fun. At some point Nate quoted Dad, "Oh it's just cards, have fun you big baby" to himself. It was something he repeated the rest of the night and had us in stitches. It was basically the adult version of "awh nuts." Just a little something to get us to lighten up a little on our competitiveness.
The last few nights Sinead and Fiona have slept with me. Fiona who really loves mice and has really wanted one for the last few months has made me feel much safer at night about the mice. I figure it would have to crawl over her to get to me. And she'd pick it up and be happy and it wouldn't get on me, which would make me happy. Sometimes even elephants need a little comfort.
I can't believe how Jen and Paul each have a miniature version of themselves. Fiona looks so much like Paul, and Sinead looks more like Jen.
ReplyDeleteI laughed alot reading your comment about Nate quoting your Dad about cards. I can just hear him saying it perfectly in my head...and it sure does make me smile. :-)