I Would Submit

Sunday the family was gathered for “home church” and we were having a very interesting discussion when my oldest brother had a thought he was going to present, and this is how he prefaced his intended remark, “I would submit…..” I found it an extremely diverting phraseology and laughed a little to myself. You can tell who used to do court room security detail and has heard a few lawyers presenting their arguments. Mr. K III would have made a good lawyer himself, he would have strung words around everybody else so deeply they couldn’t even remember what confusion meant. But when I say good, I really mean good in the truest sense of the word. Yes, he could have used words, but he also would have laid things out in black and white and when another lawyer would have used arguments to dance around justice, he would have called them on it. And he would have enjoyed doing it too. As it is, he’s not a lawyer, but that has never hampered, indeed perhaps it has only helped his prodding’s to justice.

There is after all a reason that the judges in the courtrooms never quite felt it was theirs when he was on duty. Yes, they felt safe, just not the boss. No mistake, I believe they liked it, most of the time, they just were not quite sure what to do with him. It seems real men can have that effect on people - it's as if they're such an anomaly in our society*, that people don't quite know what to do with them. And while I have lots to say on that subject, I'll wrap this up without expounding upon it. Besides that, there's someone I know who could put it ever so much more eloquently. Ahem....guess who?

(*This is not to criticize men. For far too many women have lost sight of their proper role in society as well. So I lay the blame square at the door of the devil himself. Only, we've believed his lies, so guess it comes back around to us in the end anyhow. At any rate, ditto to those that are trying.)

Can't resist a good pun....

Mother has always loved horses, so I think she was dreaming a little when she mentioned a local equestrian job for a stable person, but still, I couldn't resist and I managed to say with a straight face, 'Well, I'm not a stable person."

Real Life on Wednesday

Mother thought my little brother had just walked in the door and she called out, 'Have you eaten your oatmeal yet young man?'

I looked at my little sister who was smiling. I said to "her", "you need to get your haircut too."

Mother went and looked around the corner, "oh, sorry," she laughed.

Twiglet said with a smile, "I get that all the time."

Uh, huh. And you want to know something that is even more real life, or not?

I was sitting typing on the computer and I heard something on the dresser next to me, and I could swear that the Kleenex box moved, and there was noise coming from it. I watched it for a moment, and then apprehensively got up to check it out. I gingerly pushed it one way, and then the other, and then it happened again, and the Kleenex slid down into the box a little way.

I called for reinforcements.

My dad and little brother came down to the house and took the Kleenex box outside. I wasn't entirely, totally positive that whatever phenomena was occurring had anything to do with a rodent, but one can't be too careful. And I'm not sure what else could possibly have caused this sequence of events. You know what? That Kleenex box was completely, totally empty, except for the tissue.

Clears throat, "moving on."

Communication

I walked past the stove to put away the dish in my hand and there was a pot of madly boiling brown stuff that smelled like coffee on the stove. I cut the heat and moved the pot and announced to the room, "somebodies something, is something."


Miss Twiglet, the owner of the pot quoted in reply, "I'm a fan of subtle, but that was positively cryptic."


I gave a small ahh smile, "but you know what I meant."


"Yes, actually, I think I did." She grinned back.


Sometimes I love the way our family communicates. It's ever so much better than the way we don't communicate.

Something for some reason has called me somewhere else, so until sometime later,

Someone (aka T.W.)

At the request of Miss Hannah....

I present to you the The Braid!

It was Pun Funny

Friday evening we had a fun family night at the Blue Castle to celebrate some January birthdays. We watched Toy Story 3 (and had an amazingly delicious cake after dinner!) and a movie preview for a version of Rapunzel sparked a conversation on the fairytale. I don’t know that anyone had ever read the book, so there was a great deal of discussion back and forth and finally my brother Mr. B.T. informed us, that whether or not Rapunzel is a good story is “neither hair nor there.”

See the humor in life,

T.W.

Yesterday

Sitting by the woodstove, early in the morning before the rest of the house was stirring, I was drinking a hot cup of tea and thinking. Thinking; about a hairstyle I should try, and then I decided, why not today? So I did. A sort of Heidi style with a braid across the top of my head. If I’m going to live in the mountains, I should do what I can to make it “Swiss Alps” and not “Hill Billy.” That is what I told my sister, the next one to rise that morning, and who asked “what is up with the hair?” Nobody else said a thing about it.

After I finished my household chores that afternoon I went to the “office” to do some research and as I was approaching I heard Ailish, the Irish Wolfhound, barking at me through the glass door. That’s odd, I thought, she’s usually excited to see me but she doesn’t usually bark. I approached and opened the door to find her cowering back in anticipation of my entry (she’s such a stout heart – not). “Ai – lish!” I said, and then she recognized me and excitedly came and greeted me as is her usual custom.

Really? I simply had no idea the dog paid that much attention to my hairstyle. Yes, it was up, but I almost always wear my hair up, but it was different and she knew it. Of course I really shouldn’t be surprised, she as a puppy managed to squeeze all of herself behind the sofa in a panic when I came out of the bedroom with a scarf on my head.

I have this problem with dogs not recognizing me. One time I scarred our Chihuahua into issuing blood curdling screams at the front door begging for her life. All I did was bark back at her. I mean really, she started it, I took offense that she was barking at me in the first place. And of course you know who got the sympathy. Little rodent.

Happy Friday,

This is T.W., bringing a whole new meaning to Dog Whisperer.

Snow, snow AND ICE!

The other night I stepped out of the office to walk to the house and it was dark, very dark, and I didn't have a flashlight. I don't mind the nighttime generally, although ever since a friend of ours brought "a cat" that he shot to show us, I've been worried about them lurking in the dark - out there. Anyway, what was bothering me was that I couldn't really see, and there was snow and hence, potentially slippery ice. When it's light it can be a little easier to know where to place your next step, but when you can't even see where you're walking? I got about twenty feet from the office door without incident, but still the thought crossed my mind to just crawl the rest of the way. I didn't. But I considered it. Unfortunately I didn't have any gloves, my knees would have gotten wet and do you know how ridiculous I would have looked? (Even in the dark)


I'm concerned that this option even crossed my mind. Did you know I was a late walker? I might still be crawling if I hadn't fallen and sprained my wrist when I was something over a year old and couldn't crawl. It's simply amazing how the smallest things influence us. I'm sure it was painful, but if it hadn't happened just think where I would be today?

Shakes head, whether I like it or not, I may end up crawling home from my sister-in-laws. We have snow. And there is rain. And it is frozen. And it is very treacherous. And at least I remember how to crawl.


How has your winter been?

Happy New Year

What will the New Year hold, I wonder.....? (Please sing that to the tune of the song in The Sound of Music - thank you).

I love wondering as the days draw closer to December 31st, what will happen over the next year. I asked my sister as much last night, as she was trying to go to sleep, and she didn't respond, beyond perhaps a mumble. Even when I asked, "did you have any idea that a year ago that we would be sleeping in a barn?" Okay, it's not a barn, as I continually remind family members, "this is a house now - TREAT IT LIKE ONE!" Actually, I don't shout, there might be, on occasion, a very terse note to my voice, but shouting? No. No, no, couldn't possibly. Just too - loud. So anyways, "a barn" is a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you get the idea.

I don't think a year ago I would have imagined being where I am right now; living in a shed, that is trying to be a house, and making progress on the journey, but very slowly. Someday it will grow up, some glorious day. But for now, I will try to savour it's youthful charm as it struggles to join the world of homes.

So I ask myself again, what will the next year hold? I love mysteries, and you know, it is a great big mystery what is around the next bend in the trail.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2011!