The Viper

I got straight ‘A’s’ on my last report card. We also painted our sign in the neighborhood. It looks really nice.

On April 21, I’m going to go to Six Flags with my class. There is supposed to be this really cool, new roller coaster coming out called The Viper. It goes forwads and backwards.

The-Viper.gif

–NDC

Chess Violence

Danny decided to join the chess club at school. He liked the movie “In Search of Bobby Fisher.” He had me teach him how to play. On the first chess club meeting, the boys paired off and played each other.

First Danny played Shawn Kerner, another second-grader. Shawn got mad when Danny moved his King two squares and made his Castle hop over the King. “I’m castling,” Danny told Shawn. Shawn didn’t think there was such a thing. Danny proceeded to take all of Shawn’s men except for his King and then he won. Shawn hit Danny over his head with the chess board (Shawn’s) and it broke the board.

Then Danny played a fifth grader. They played three games and Danny won one of the games.

Nicole made all “A”s except for a “B” in P.E. because she could only do 9 gymnastic moves instead of 10 that it took to get an “A”. Danny made all “A”s.

Betty

Kelly Story

Kathy went out to get the mail. When she came back, she found Kelly sitting on the sofa with the portable phone, chatting away. Kathy said “What are you doing?” Kathy noticed that the phone was on, so just to make sure, she put it to her ear and said, “Hello?”

The woman on the other end said, “Is Betty there?”

“You must have the wrong number,” said Kathy. The woman seemed confused as she hung up.

Kathy asked Kelly, “Did you answer the phone?”

“I was talking to Betty,” Kelly said proudly.

Her first unattended phone conversation. (That we know of.)

Dirt

Kelly Story

Kelly came walking into the den and told Kathy, “Sumping’s in Charlie’s bed.”

“What is in Charlie’s bed?” asked Kathy.

“Iownknow,” she shrugged. “Sumping!”

Then Kelly walked out and came back in and shrugged, “It’s dirt.”

Kathy thought Kelly was just playing games so she brushed it off. Later, Kathy discovered that Charlie had thrown up in her bed.

Charlie is lucky that the whole thing tickled Kathy when she figured out that Kelly was trying to be a good little reporter with her limited vocabulary. Kathy called me at work to tell me the story.

P.S.

It seems Charlie found herself a nice ham bone with a bunch of ham on it in one of the neighbor’s trash bags. The feast cost her, though.

Paper Girl

Nicole has gotten her name and photo in the Journal Constitution for the third time this year. On Christmas day, her second review appeared. In all the rush of Christmas, we didn’t even find out until the end of the day when Ted called Mom & Dad who then called us.

I liked this review better than her first review, but then I think Nicole also liked the software better.

Several people at work saw Nicole’s column. Our director of communications is impressed. He gets quoted in the paper on occasion for Harland, but he never gets his photo in the paper.

Nicole’s Third Software Review

Nicole has gotten her name and photo in the Journal Constitution for the third time this year. On Christmas day, her second review appeared. In all the rush of Christmas, we didn’t even find out until the end of the day when Ted called Mom & Dad who then called us.

I liked this review better than her first review, but then I think Nicole also liked the software better.

Several people at work saw Nicole’s column. Our director of communications is impressed. He gets quoted in the paper on occassion for Harland, but he never gets his photo in the paper.

Walt’s Gloves

Walt:

I went out looking for your gloves the day after we cut down the trees and thought I did a good job searching. I didn’t find them.

Earlier this week Charlie brought both gloves up to our deck! Her nose is better than my eyes.

The poison I sprayed on the pine trees is:

Ortho Lindane Borer & Leaf Miner Spray. This was recommended by the Georgia Extension Service. It is a concentrated mix that I got at Pike Nurseries. I still have half a bottle left and plan to soak the base of all the pines around the affected area in late February. This is when the sap starts moving again and carries the poison up the tree. (I hope.)

It is powerful smelling stuff. I wore a mask, long sleeves, and gloves while spraying it. I did it in July. Hot work.

Thanks for your help the other day.

Jeb

(When 14 pine trees suddenly died, Walt came to the rescue with his bigger chainsaw to use on one of the larger trees.)

Baptist Bible Bully

Kathy has been watching a nursery of kids for a Baptist bible study class on Tuesday mornings. She’s saving up for Christmas.

There is one 3 year-old-boy who is particularly bad. He is rude and bullies most of the little kids. Two-year-old Kelly can certainly stand out, but this boy makes Kelly look like an angel.

One morning Kelly was pulling a rocking horse across the floor and the bully boy jumped on it so that she couldn’t pull it. Kelly yelled at him to get off, but he wouldn’t do it. So Kelly stepped up and punched him in the face!

Kathy was shocked. So was the bully. He ran away crying and hasn’t bothered Kelly since.

Kathy did not report the incident.

Hey Lady!

Hey-Lady.gifA lady came to our door the other night looking for the Clarke’s house. I had just come home so the energy level was pretty high because all the kids and the dog get into a loud Dad’s Home Let’s Run Around mood.

The doorbell rang and Charlie immediately started barking ferociously. She barks loudest at the real doorbell and doorbells on TV.

I grabbed her by the collar, and opened the door leaning over. All three kids stepped up into the door. As the lady explained she was looking for the Clarke’s house, Nicole and Danny started giving simultaneous directions and Kelly started yelling (in nothing but her diaper) “HEY LADY! HEY LADY! YOU WANT TO COME IN! HEY LADY! YOU WANT TO EAT WITH US! HEY LADY! HEY LADY! YOU WANT TO WATCH TV?”

The lady was stunned and went off bewildered. We don’t know if she ever made it to the Clarke’s house.