As Heard Tonight, vol. 10

Our 94-year-old neighbor, affectionately known as JuJu, came over last night. She needed someone to read the label on a bottle of decongestant. Her daughter had purchased a different brand of medication and she was unsure of how many pills she should take. I was delighted to help out.

Several hours later the boy asked me why JuJu talks so loud. Smiling, I asked him what he thought. He replied, "Because when you get old, you get crazy. Your brain doesn't work right and you don't know what you are talking about. You get confused and start shouting like a crazy person."

After I stopped laughing, I decided to take a different approach. I asked him how he talks when he is wearing ear plugs or headphones (the boy wears them anytime he practices his drums). His answer was that he talks "stupid loud... REALLY loud."

That is an understatement. The boy shouts. My ears are aching just thinking about it.

I explained to him that JuJu talks loud because she can't hear as well as she used to. The dear woman is 94-years-old and things don't work quite the way they used to. The boy was silent for a moment and then replied, "Oh. She can't tell how loud she is talking. I bet she's sad that she can't even hear her own voice."

My heart swelled with pride. What a sweet and compassionate boy the hubby and I are raising. He was worried about JuJu feeling sad...

The boy interruped my thoughts. "Did you ever notice that JuJu sounds like a bird when she talks? Kind-of like Mrs. Fowl on Jimmy Neutron," he said.

For those of you that don't know, Mrs. Fowl is Jimmy's bird-like teacher. She literally squawks when she speaks, just like a bird. The character is really quite funny.

I have to admit that the boy was right. JuJu does sound strangely like Mrs. Fowl. What more was there to say?

We finished our conversation by talking about how incredibly lucky we are to have such a wonderful neighbor. The boy and I agreed that we hope JuJu is around for many, many more years. We would be sad without her.