Friday Afternoon Encounter at the Pond Chairs

What did you do in school today?

Just the regular, but we saw a play.

What was the name of it?

I don't know, but there was a murder, and wine, and poison, and peanut butter, and a girl who couldn't stop dancing. It was really funny. The cook did it. And the two girls found a secret passageway to their bedroom that was used by someone famous like George Washington.

Oh, do you remember that picture of the mushroom man that I made? You can have it.

Thanks. I'll pay you a dollar for it.

That's good because then next Friday I'll have enough money to buy a pickle and a coke.

A what?

A pickle and a coke. Two things for one dollar.

A real pickle?

And a real coke.

Thursday Afternoon

I was in my swing watching the birds as the sun was going down and noticed Camron in his swing by the pond. He was having a fairly tremendous conversation so I walked over to see if he wanted to practice some to get ready for our golf game on Sunday. He did and we played until the sun set, then went over to try out the chairs that we painted yesterday evening. While we were admiring the paint job he asked if I wanted to hear two scary stories that his best friend Daniel had told him. I said that I would.

The Ghost in the Pond
Once upon a time there was a pond, and it was exactly the same size as ours, and right in the middle of it on the bottom lived the ghost of a man who had drowned. At night he would go haunting, and go into houses and take televisions, and wheel barrows, and especially Bar-b-que grills. And he would take them back down to where he lives. And the only thing that will stop him is if we put a gate up within the next three years.
"Why three years?"
Because he died in 1996, and 2009 makes it 3 years after 10 years.
"I see."
So as long as we put a gate up across this part of the pond before three years is up he won't come and haunt us. And it doesn't matter what kind of gate we put up - wood, or metal, or any kind of gate will stop a spirit.
"How about string?'
That won't work because they have spirit scissors. And they can see right through a movile home.
He understands genomes, and movile homes.

And the second scary story that my friend told me is.

The Guy With the Bazooka
In 5 years the guy who was killed with a bazooka in his hand and was buried where the propane tank is now, will come back, if we don't have a gate up.
"I have lived in this house for over 40 years and don't recall a guy with a bazooka ever having been killed and buried there."
It was long before you were born. Daniel read about it. He is smart. He even knows what 10 times 10 is. So do I, 100, but tomorrow I'll ask him to tell me some more scary stories.

Chef Camron Cooking Show

Camron came to the fence and invited me to the Chef Camron Cooking Show. Today he will show how to make a birthday cake using playdough.

First - Roll it into a ball.
Second - Squish it down.
Then flip it over and do the same thing.
Squish the roll up into a ball again, then pat it down. Start smashing it onto something that is hard, like a tree stump.
Flip it over.
If you don't want to use candles you can use sticks, and then "Voila! A playdough birthday cake! And guess what? Once you leave it under the moon it turns dark green."

(Where does he hear those words?)

"Oh yes. Nobody is going to really eat a playdough cake. Tomorrow we will learn another thing about playdough."

(To keep the program going I ask him what is going on with the fish. We have found a couple of dead ones lately.)
"Well, did you know that if you don't help the environment by cleaning up the trash and keeping the air clean, then in the future you will have to live under the ground. And trust me, all you will need there is a flashlight and lots of water. Did you hear the part about the dirty water? Well, it goes from this environment (pointing to the pond) down. We have to catch all of those dead fish. So this is all I have to say. If you don't help the environment you will have to live under the ground. That's all you need to know, so pass it around."

Endlessly Creating

Today I was working on the herb garden and as Camron walked by he said, "I'm creating a plate that will last forever. I'm making it out of Playdough and it never gets hard so it won't ever break." It was round and flat, and sort of plate shaped. I could see several potential flaws, such as how it might react to hot food, but agreed with him that it might work.