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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Whose job is this


My husband, when I was married, liked to fish.  He’d go off with Warren, who was married to my high school friend Judy.  They came home with strings of blue gills and small mouth bass.  I wouldn’t clean them, but I was happy to cook up a fried potato and fish night for the four of us, after Jim and Warren had a freezer full.  I recall the two of them bursting into our apartment one night to show off their take to the pinochle club.

They fished often at the Holden Arboretum.  Judy and I went occasionally, and played with Beth along the many lake shores.  That’s where Beth learned she couldn’t walk on water.  She had no realization the surface would not be solid and walked straight in. 

The guys only kept fish six inches long or better.  The rest went back in.  However, they had a “secret pond” somewhere on the grounds and used the little fish to stock it.  I do wonder how that came out.

Shelly was two, going on three when we bought the house in Mentor.  The Arboretum was even closer, just down the road in Kirtland and Jim fished often in the evenings and weekends.

He had a lot of fishing equipment in the front closet, and, to my complete dismay, kept live bait in our refrigerator. Little wiggly things in flimsy Styrofoam containers lived in a condiment shelf in the door of the refrigerator.

One night I accidently flipped a container into the open vegetable drawer and before I could retrieve it the lid flew off and little wiggly things invaded the salad.

“Shelly,” I said sweetly and calmly to my toddler.  “Come here.”  She did.  “Please pick up those pretty little wormies and put them back in the container.”


Shelly looked over the crisper edge.  “Pick them up yourself.” 


Two, going on three

30 comments:

  1. Ha I would say two going on thirty with a come back like that. Loved that story Joanne.

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  2. I was going to say the same thing as Doc...two going on thirty. Sharp little toad wasn't she?

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  3. That's my girl - or she would be in an ideal world. Sounds as though she's going to be as cantankerous as you already are, Joanne.

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  4. I always say salad is dull that one was more lively.
    Merle...........

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  5. I would imagine that Shelly is much like her strong mom.

    I used to try to con my kids into doing things for me. Sometimes it worked, more times it didn't.

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  6. Love that story! We'll be seeing our great-granddaughter in a couple of weeks.. she was 2 last month... I have a feeling she'll either be like Shelly... or maybe (and) more likely to pick them up and try them out for taste. I'll let you know.

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  7. Love children and there fresh worldly outlook -- "out of the mouths of babes." -- barbara

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  8. My grandkids have said things that after one thought a minute... made perfect sense... it's all in how you look at it. ; )

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  9. Too funny!

    Oldest Son had a pet gecko for a few years. He was in charge of feeding it (live crickets), but when he went on Boy Scout camping trips the job got passed on to his parents. Fortunately I only had to do it a couple of times.

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  10. LOL, too cute!! Wise for two going on three! I'd kind of freak having the worms in the fridge myself too.

    betty

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  11. How wise she was - which was most unfortunate for you.

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  12. I love that age! And what a cute little face. You can see that she must have had a lot to say....

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  13. Love the look in those blue eyes. Kids have a great deal of wisdom. Our mistake is often underestimating them.

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  14. Yes, and I've had flimsy containers full of dirt and bait in my fridge. I finally put my foot down when the meal worms escaped and invaded the lettuce. Those critters are now stashed in the small fridge in the shop. I just had to draw a line somewhere.

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  15. Dear Joanne, I chuckled loud and long at Shelly's response. She's a little like her mother, wouldn't you say? Bait in frig. Ugh. Peace.

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  16. LOL!!!! Smart girlie. I wouldn't have picked them up either. EWWWW!!!

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  17. Her momma didn't raise no fools :)

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  18. Hilarious! What a smart kid!

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  19. !!! I too learned I couldn't walk on water - my experience was at Virginia Kendall Park at about age 4 on Easter Sunday!

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  20. Very wise child. Next time use a spatula?

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