Get Hot Much?

About a week ago an article ran in the paper. A young woman was directed by a judge to attend anger management classes. She arrived just as the instructor was about to play a video for the class.

Seems it wasn't to "taste."  She sat in the back of the room. As she watched she squirmed and fidgeted and made numerous derogatory comments. Finally, another girl in front of her (who had also been required to take the class), turned around and asked her to be quiet. To please listen and "give it a chance."

At which point our unhappy camper stood up and repeatedly stabbed the other girl numerous times causing her to be hospitalized.

Whoa....

Someone needs an anger management class.

Oh.

Wait.....

Critics

The galleries are full of critics. They play no ball, they fight no fights. They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing. Down in the arena are the doers. They make mistakes because they try many things. The man who makes no mistakes lacks boldness and the spirit of adventure. He is the one who never tries anything. His is the brake on the wheel of progress. And yet it cannot be truly said he makes no mistakes, because his biggest mistake is the very fact that he tries nothing, does nothing, except criticize those who do things.
Gen. David M. Shoup

Who's On First?

This is another of those posts that I stewed about for quite a while, wrote and finally erased.

You know, sometimes we're unfortunate spectators in events where we watch other people make momentous mistakes...

As fallible mortals we have a tendency to jump on the band wagon to judge, condemn and criticize.

That's not what we're supposed to do.

I'm trying to remember that.

T-Shirt Time!

Do you repeat everything you hear? "No, just everything I see!" So in the mode of 'Bumper Snickers' I will now dedicate some space to Terrific T-Shirts!

Seen in the Richland Farmer's Market on an 80 year old man...

Follow Your Dreams!
Except that one where you're naked in church...
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Thanks - I Think

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water woods...



In A Rush

#1 Daughter went school shopping with The Youngest a year ago. Picked out a nice wardrobe for the boy. But there was a pull over sweater that she insisted he get that he refused to wear.

"Hey, great looking sweater," I'd say.  "Why don't you wear it?"

I'd get 'the look.'

No?

Well, okay.

So this fall, he runs out of clothes one morning and the sweater is the only thing left to wear. He comes out of his room, wearing it. A grumpy look on his face. Goes off to school, comes home and the sweater heads to the wash.

Following week, with plenty of clothes in his dresser...he comes out with the hated sweater on, again.

I hide my smile.

Someone, at school, must have mentioned they liked it.

It has become a regular in the rotation now.

We've become a bit finicky about the hair also. The other guys are using pomade to style their hair. Must have some now.

We also have to have a trim every 4 weeks. (This from the kid we used to have to sit on to get his hair cut...)

Aftershave, body wash, deodorant, also on the must have list.

So this morning the boy is in a rush to leave. Mind you we get up @ 5:15am so we can get everyone showered, fed and done reading scriptures by 6:15.  His zero hour class starts at 6:50 and it's a half hour drive. The Youngest is the worst foot dragger of us all. It's usually a task to get him shoveled in the car, ready to go.

Today he's the first one out the door. At 6:16am he's calling the house, from the cell phone...from the car that is in the driveway. Hurry up Dad!

At 6:20 the phone rings again.

???

Okay guys, enuf w/the fun and games. It's too early to run for the phone.

But this time it's Farm Boy. And he's laughing. "Know why he was in such a rush," he asks? "He had to stop @ the corner store to get GUM! Oh wait, here he comes, gotta go!"

...

I wonder what her name is?
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Gotta Get You A Edumacation

Long time ago and far away....

The Commander was, I believe, in 7th grade. Skinny little kid, big serious eyes.

We're going into town and he starts to repeat this joke he heard at school.  See mom...

There were these three ducks. They were in the pond in the park and a police man arrested them.

They went to court. The first one went before the judge. Judge says, "What's your name."

First duck says, "Duck."

Judge looks at him...then asks what he was doing to get arrested. Duck says he was just swimming around the pond blowing bubbles.

Judge is a little confused about why the duck is in his courtroom.

Judge then calls the second duck up and asks, "What's your name."

Second ducks says, "Duck Duck."

Judge quirks an eyebrow, then asks what he was doing to get arrested. 2nd duck replies that he too was just swimming around the pond, blowing bubbles.

???

So the judge calls the third and final duck up. Asks his name and says, "No wait, let me guess, you're Duck Duck Duck, right?"

The little duck blushes, looks at his tiny webbed feet and shyly says, "No...my name is Bubbles."

You know when you start to laugh, stifle it and just end up snorting? The young Commander was watching my face, checking my reaction and starts laughing. Pauses, then, in all seriousness, confesses, "Mom, I don't get it."

Ummm.

So we get to have a little discussion. Gotta love these 'teaching moments'.

A couple of years ago it was time for The Youngest to have his turn. Came home with questions after listening to his middle school classmates and their raging hormones. Again I got to have a little heart to heart. Bubbles rears his head... a lot of the jokes that you can't tell in church are down right useful as conversation starters and especially valuable as a sensitive, newly minted teenager finds out that his big brother, (who's famous for being cool and 'all that and a bag of chips') had the same questions - at the same time - at the same age.

Last nite, the Youngest, who is now a sophomore, comes home after taping a volleyball match. Someone got a hold of some helium filled balloons and a hysterical comedy routine with wacky voices followed. It didn't take long for the subject matter to go south and The Youngest noted he "learned" quite a bit...

I'm grateful for the school system, still -  this incident gives new meaning to continued education.

And apparently, Ol' Bubbles is lookin' pretty tame.
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