Well, I’ve gone two weeks now without being able to mow. We’ve had a lot of rain. Most people have been able to cut their grass between showers, but the ground in our yard as well as Pauline’s is so saturated that the water doesn’t have a chance to drain away. I dread cutting it when the yard does dry out as the grass will be thick enough to double my mowing time. Of course, I really can’t complain like my neighbors who farm for a living. They can’t get into their fields to plant their corn and the time to set tobacco is fast approaching. It’s also time to pick strawberries, but who wants to do that with lightning flashing across the sky?
BOY MAGNETS. Let’s just call mud puddles for what they are. There is nothing more inviting to a boy than a good mud puddle to splash in. The kids had spent Friday night with Pauline. Yesterday morning it was raining hard so Vicki went over the get the kids.
When Vicki drove up Ben and Nate standing in a puddle next to Pauline’s driveway. Ben was soaked from head to toe and wearing the biggest grin on his face. She couldn’t see his feet as they were completely under water. Vicki didn’t really think a lot about this until Ben raised a foot out of the water to take a step to meet her. There on his feet were his new tennis shoes. Things didn’t only got worse when Vicki discovered Nate was wearing his good tennis shoes as well.
You know, I remember being in situations like that. There’s really nothing you can say to appease an irate mother. It didn’t help when hours later the boys broke her favorite stained glass lamp.
This morning the kids and I got home from church before Vicki (we usually drive separately). When Vicki got home she was greeted with the sound of the shower running and the boys’ voices coming from the bathroom. She looked at me and I simply said, “You don’t want to know.” After a little debate with herself she decided she did want to know.
When we got out of the truck the boys ran toward the house. Jenna and I followed behind at a slower pace. As we walked past the smoke house we were met by Ben whose lower legs were covered in mud. It turns out that he and Nate decided to take a lap around the swing set on their way to the back door. Ben slipped in the mud and down he went. It was fortunate he was wearing shorts, but he did have his nice church sandals on. At least Nate kept his footing.
A HEAPING HELPING OF STRAWBERRIES. I know the rain is not helping Kenny’s strawberry sales, but he is getting some of his crop in. We have enjoyed several quarts already. Since today was Mother’s Day we ate lunch with Mom and Aunt Mar over at Pauline’s. The dessert was strawberry shortcake. This prompted Mom to recount one of her favorite stories.
Mom has always enjoyed food. Of course, her grandmother, Lizzie Hancock, has a special place in her memory as an exceptional cook. Mom can hardly talk about “Grandmother Hancock” without mentioning her cakes and other confections. With Mom’s sweet tooth there probably wasn’t a day that she didn’t look in her grandmother’s pie safe to see what was there.
The story Mom recalled today was the time her grandmother served strawberry shortcake (the pastry kind). Mom was in high school at the time. This particular meal her grandmother decided not to enforce any limitations and said, “Today you can have as much as you want.” These were the words Mom had longed to hear all her life, and she wound up eating 14, yes fourteen, servings of strawberry shortcake that day and never got sick. I get the impression from listening to her that she could have eaten more. She says the family was cheering her on and keeping count of how much she ate. I don’t think she’s ever eaten that much dessert since, but that moment of indulgence has been a fond memory for her all this time.
CLOVER BOWL. Last year Jenna’s team didn’t do well in the school-wide 4-H Clover Bowl contest. This year they won the competition for the 5th grade and advanced to the county contest which was held Thursday night.
The Clover Bowl is a trivia game where teams of four students compete by answering questions in the categories of agriculture; 4-H information; Tennessee history, geography, and civics; and Family and Consumer Sciences.
Jenna’s team performed rather respectably Thursday night advancing to the semi-finals in a tournament with nine schools represented.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ORIENTATION. When this school year began in August I made the comment here that this would be the only year all three kids would be in elementary school together. Now summer break is only a couple of weeks away. Last Monday the fifth grade were bussed over to East Robertson High School for a tour and a bit of orientation. That night the parents were invited to come for an open house and more orientation. It is so hard to believe that in three, all too short months Jenna will be in middle school. I don’t want to hold her back. It’s time for her to start a new chapter in life. She’s old enough to move forward. But trying to make the most of the time before it slips by is like trying to carry sand in a sieve.
Joe
