Ask a silly question

One of my monkeys came home from school today and the conversation went something like this:

Me: How was school today?

Monkey: Good.

Me: Did you do anything exciting?

Monkey: No, not really.

Me: Okay, well, remember to get your chores done right away and don't forget to make your lunch, k? (small reference to yesterday there - it's a habit.)

Monkey: I will.

(small pause while monkey wanders off and sits on the coffee table staring out the back window. I suspect a candy is being hidden from me.)

Monkey: By the way, when did the cherry tree fall down?

Me: What?

Monkey: The tree fell down.

Me: Where?

Monkey: In the front.

Me: What?

Monkey: The tree fell down.

Me: What? (There is simply no light dawning yet ...)

Monkey: The tree. It fell down.

Me: What?! (Ah, there it comes ...)

Monkey: It did! The cherry tree fell down.

Me: What?!?!?!?!!! (Slowly, though...)

Monkey: Go look! It fell down!

Me: What??!??!?!?!!!

Monkey: Mom! ...

Various voices from various parts of the house chime in at this point "What's going on?" "What's happening?" etc, etc.

Me: What!!??!??!!?

SG: What's going on?

Me: (gave up the witty banter and ran for the door, then the window, then another window, then outside. And to my utter surprise ...)

Cookies for the simple minded ...

or the rushed ... or the inept ...

Marriage tips from Johnny & Chachi

This guy's (Chachi's) teeth make me laugh so hard!!

A new neighbor

The last few times we've walked out our front door, it's been a pretty sure thing that someone will get freaked out.

Unfortunately, it usually seems to be me.

See, we have a new neighbor. She moved in so quietly I didn't even realize she was there. But when I left the house in a hurry one day, the sudden flurry of wings right beside my ear gave her away. A mourning dove had been sitting in a hanging planter that sits about 4 feet from our front door.

Nice, I thought. She'll move on.


Nope.

For a couple weeks now, I've forgotten she's there. And whenever we leave, the flurry of wings as she launched herself off the planter have startled us into the siding in one of those evasive reflex actions.

Then one day, there was no flurry. So I glanced over ...

and freaked out anyways. She just sat there, watching me. Not a twitch. Not a stir. Just two little dark eyes watching me. Somehow that was even freakier.


So today we finally figured it out. The kids were playing outside and apparently it finally got to be too much for her. She left the planter and we saw why she's been so still.


So it appears we'll have more neighbors soon. And until then, we're trying to remember not to startle the neighbor lady.