Not for the faint of heart
Okay... So I AM the faint of heart. You. bet. First, unless you are caught in the middle of the US right now in this deep freeze, you have no idea what it is taking to get out and get going... The temps are hovering below freezing, and the wind chills rival the old story, "To Build a Fire" by Jack London... I teach that story to sophomores, and the man DIES in the cold... I wish I'd quit thinking about that!!!
Add to that the fact I'm sharing a car with my son who still hasn't fixed his blown motor.... and he runs habitually tardy... It's a tossup between feeling a bit irritated that I'm about five minutes late every morning (because the school docks me fifteen minutes for even one minute late).... and feeling so pampered with my car warm, windows scratched.... aaaaah... It's debatable how I feel about that one, so I usually just smile and let it ride... Today, I realized I was blessed. I arrived at school while the intercom was still blaring the daily bulletin.... and screams were echoing down the hall from where???? ahhh... My room, of course!!!
And why? Well, a few weeks ago I had a girl staying after school who insisted she saw a HUGE mouse... She named him George, and since I teach in the Midwest, I had a host of "trapper Johns" who stomped in at all times of the day to check the trap lines they set in my furnace closet... THE furnace closet that attaches to a book/coat closet that lies directly behind my desk without a door, thank you very much... I hung a pretty shower curtain, but NO protection from said mousey.. Before the holidays we caught a tiny little waif mouse, and we all teased Jillie for thinking he was HUGE... She was shocked to discover George was only an infant mouse...
Today, thank you, LORD! before I arrived the boys (resplendent with fur flapped hats and parkas) evidently checked their latest contraption, a set of two traps rigged to go off simultaneously. Lo!~ and behold. According to the principal, who isn't prone to tall tales, they caught an eight-inch RAT with a long, long tail... There was Jillie's George, and he was caught by the mouth in one trap and the middle in the other. Thus, today, January 5th, 2010, a legend was born that will be retold with awe and wonder the rest of those boys' lives... And I think the rat is "growing" while we speak. I heard them wishing they'd had it taxidermied as I left school... Sheesh! As my favorite line goes in RUNAWAY BRIDE, "God, give me the strength to live in a small town!"
Add to that the fact I'm sharing a car with my son who still hasn't fixed his blown motor.... and he runs habitually tardy... It's a tossup between feeling a bit irritated that I'm about five minutes late every morning (because the school docks me fifteen minutes for even one minute late).... and feeling so pampered with my car warm, windows scratched.... aaaaah... It's debatable how I feel about that one, so I usually just smile and let it ride... Today, I realized I was blessed. I arrived at school while the intercom was still blaring the daily bulletin.... and screams were echoing down the hall from where???? ahhh... My room, of course!!!
And why? Well, a few weeks ago I had a girl staying after school who insisted she saw a HUGE mouse... She named him George, and since I teach in the Midwest, I had a host of "trapper Johns" who stomped in at all times of the day to check the trap lines they set in my furnace closet... THE furnace closet that attaches to a book/coat closet that lies directly behind my desk without a door, thank you very much... I hung a pretty shower curtain, but NO protection from said mousey.. Before the holidays we caught a tiny little waif mouse, and we all teased Jillie for thinking he was HUGE... She was shocked to discover George was only an infant mouse...
Today, thank you, LORD! before I arrived the boys (resplendent with fur flapped hats and parkas) evidently checked their latest contraption, a set of two traps rigged to go off simultaneously. Lo!~ and behold. According to the principal, who isn't prone to tall tales, they caught an eight-inch RAT with a long, long tail... There was Jillie's George, and he was caught by the mouth in one trap and the middle in the other. Thus, today, January 5th, 2010, a legend was born that will be retold with awe and wonder the rest of those boys' lives... And I think the rat is "growing" while we speak. I heard them wishing they'd had it taxidermied as I left school... Sheesh! As my favorite line goes in RUNAWAY BRIDE, "God, give me the strength to live in a small town!"
Comments
Great illustrations to go with the story!
Becky