Stories

After our trip to Old World Wisconsin, we spent the night in Madison, and then went to visit Nana. Our schedule was a little different than hers, and when we arrived we were ready for lunch, but she'd already eaten. We took her out for lunch anyway, and she ordered apple pie while the rest of us had pizza. (And maybe shared her pie.) We visited, the kids played with Nana's toys, and we shared lots of stories.

After that, on to Grandpa Shorty's farm, where the kids roamed the yard, investigating the heifers and taking turns on the swings. More stories shared - did you know that the farm house where Grandpa raised his family had no running water when he bought the farm? Did you know that Grandpa dug out the basement of that house, to make room for a furnace? (Reminds me of when Nana told me about her dad digging a basement in the house she lived in as a girl.) So, while Grandpa shared stories with David and me, our kids were out and about, making new stories of their own. At one point, Archer ran into the kitchen and asked for a plastic container. To catch fireflies. Who is this kid? He's afraid of bugs!

Something about the country air changes a person, my kids began the quick transformation from city to country kids and as they ran in and out of the house, showing off their prizes (captured fireflies), I was so happy to be in this place of stories. Stories from our past, creating stories for my kids to tell their kids someday, stories for their future.

The next day the story-making continued, Dad took us to Hidden Valley for a little fishing trip. Archer caught about a hundred (or maybe just fifteen) little bluegills and sunfish, David caught a nice sized large mouth bass, and I caught a lot of seaweed. A lot. When I got tired of cleaning the weeds off the lures, I announced that we were done and we went back to Grandpa's to see what E and Shell had been up to with Grandma. Of course, E had no clothes (too HOT!) and the kids faces were red from running around outside. More snacks, more visiting, and then David and I came home. The kids stayed behind for a few more days of fun. And story making.

Archer's Turn

Now, Archer's turn for a funny story.

Arch sat at the table working on homework, but he kept covering his face and moaning, "That SMELL! I can't concentrate because of that SMELL!" He often says he can't concentrate because ____ (there are a thousand reasons), so I didn't take him too seriously. I said, Well, I cleaned the oven today, and I'm making chicken stock, so maybe you smell one of those things. "No, it smells like DIRTY SOCKS" he informed me. It was strange that the chicken or the oven would smell like socks, but I let it go. Why argue.

A few minutes later he needed some help with his worksheet and I walked over to him and walked into an awful cloud of BAD SMELL. You know in cartoons how they picture the aroma around a skunk as a green cloud? Yeah, that's what I walked into when I got to Archer. Bad. And it smelled like Really. Dirty. Socks. I looked at him, I looked at his clean-looking feet, and I said, "Archer, please don't get upset, but I think its your socks that smell bad." He didn't believe me, until he put his feet up to his nose. And nearly passed out. "EWWW!!! I can't believe its MY socks that smell that bad!" We had a good laugh about it, and I was relieved he wasn't mad (it can so easily go either way), he removed the offensive socks and we continued on with the homework. Laughing all the way.

Were Bikes Invented...

I took the kids out for a bike ride this afternoon and as were were tying shoes, finding helmets and trying to get out the door we had a little conversation about biking. This comes on the heels of Archer receiving a new tire for his bike because the old one was about to pop, it was so worn from skidding when he stops.

Arch     Mom, did you ever have your bike tire replaced when you were a kid?
Me       Maybe, I don't know.
Arch     So you didn't skid?
Me       No, not as much as you. But that's ok, its what boys do. You can't help it.
Arch     Did Dad skid on his bike?
Me       I don't know, you'll have to ask him.
Arch     Wait, did Dad even have a bike? Were bikes invented when Dad was a kid?
Me       (Laughing) YES bikes were invented!
Arch     They were invented in 1983 when Dad was a kid?
Shelly    Yeah, back in the olden days, did they have bikes?
Me       (Laughing lots) 1983 is the olden days??
Arch     You know, way back when? They had bikes then?

I was laughing too hard to continue the conversation, Shelly's shoes were on and I wrestled my bike out of the garage and we took off. At the end of the ride Archer and I had a race, with Shelly as the judge at the finish line to pronounce the winner. It was close, with Archer leading for moments and me ahead at other moments but the end was too close to call... Shelly announced a tie and we all came in for supper.

As I recounted the story to David later, Archer changed his story and said that he meant 1938, not 1983. Either way, I'm pretty sure they had bikes back then, when ever it was.

A Horse in Your Basement. Really!

I love kids' stories.

Today Shelly and I were treated to a nice story from Miss C. They were taking turns riding a stick horse around the house and then Miss C told me that she has a horse. "A REAL horse?" I asked her. "Yep," she replied, very matter of fact.

Me:       Where does it live? Outside in your yard?
Miss C: No, downstairs.
Me:       Oh! What do you feed it?
Miss C: Seeds.
Me:       Oh, of course. Do you take it for walks?
Miss C: No! I RIDE it!

Shelly thought I was crazy for believing Miss C, and C thought I was crazy for asking if she takes it for walks. But what I want to know is what kind of seeds does a horse eat? And can you REALLY keep a horse in your basement? Because if you can, I want one too!

The Leprechaun

Once Thair was a rainbow. The rainbow is majakl. The rainbow could mke leprechauns. The leprechauns were crazy. They put orange juice in their coffee. It wus silly.

By Archer

(Honestly, putting orange juice in coffee DOES sound a little crazy!)

If My Teeth Could Talk

If my teeth could talk They would say brush us. and they would say do not eat a lot of shigr [sugar].

By Archer

Shelly's Story

Once there was four houses far away but I could not see them far away. And there was three of the people in that town that meeted us. And we were so little, they were so ginormous, I could not see their heads.

Once there was a little alligator that was so small, that WE were so small...

That it was not scary. It was NICE. We went on a walk with the alligator. And we went on a at home after we took a walk.

The End.

(Illustrated by Shelly, dictated by Shelly and written down by Mom)