A Rambling List To End the Week

© shoutingforha

Prepare to be bored.

1. The redhead had his first shift as an Office Helper yesterday.  He was really excited about wearing his nifty safety patrol sash.  I was excited that he was wearing his cool sash over his totally awesome Denver Broncos shirt.  Go Broncos!

After arriving bright and early, the boy served as chief door holder for the hoards of children arriving at school. The highlight of the morning was leading the school in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

As we were driving home after school, the boy told me that there was one little mishap at the end of the day.  When he and his trusty sidekick took down the American flag, it accidentally touched the ground.  As the boy tells it, an over-zealous teacher began shrieking, "The flag touched the ground!  It needs to be burned!"

Thankfully, the principal stepped in and calmed the teacher down.  Apparently, the whole thing was his fault.  You see, despite the long list of instructions given to each Office Helper, the principal never told the two greenhorns the proper procedure for removing and folding the flag.

Thankfully, both boys are now well versed in proper flag etiquette.  I don't think they will make the same mistake twice. 

2.  My boy is staying at school until 5:00 tonight for the Rock-n-Roll Read-a-Thon.  In addition to presentations by various authors and illustrators, the kids will attend a dance, eat a bunch of junk and, of course, read. 

For the past twenty years, the Read-a-Thon has always had a 50's vibe.  You know, poodle skirts, leather jackets, sock hop...  This year, the powers that be decided to mix things up and have a 60's theme.  The boy was thrilled and decided to wear a giant Afro wig (pictures coming soon).

There's just one thing I don't understand.  When they made the big switch-a-roo, why didn't they didn't give the event a more groovy name?  If they were short on ideas, they should have called. Off the top of my head, I can come up with several winning suggestions.

What about, "Peace, Love, Read-a-Thon?"  Or maybe "Give Reading a Chance."  Better yet, "R-E-A-D-I-N-G!  Find out what it means to me."

The witty possibilities are endless.  

© shoutingforha

3.  There is a creek that winds through my neighborhood.  You long time readers have been forced to view countless photos of the redhead wading in it's waters in search of tiny crayfish.  I'm sure as the years go by, you will be subjected to even more.

One thing I don't think I've mentioned was that the horrible flood last April changed our tiny creek.  While the width is relatively unchanged, many parts are much deeper and the water doesn't quite flow the same way it used to.

At first my boy was upset that his precious creek was altered.  Then he realized that the new improved creek now houses a multitude of giant crayfish.  Just the other day, my boy and his friend pulled the great big fellow pictured above from the icy waters.  If the water weren't so nasty, I think he might be big enough to eat.

I have a feeling  the boy is going to spend a ton of time down at the creek this summer.

4.  Brick decided to go for a little trot today.  The boy mistakenly left the door wide open and the beast decided to take full advantage of it.  Little stinker. 

Normally, I would grab my keys, hop in the car, drive around the corner and wait for Brick to wander over and hop inside.  For some odd reason, I decided to do things the old fashioned way.  I poked my head out the back door and let loose my loudest whistle.  

To my complete surprise, the crazy dog came galloping back into the house.  I have no idea what has come over  the beast.  Next thing I know, he will be refilling his own food dish and brushing his own fur.

5.  *** UPDATE:  The old saying, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride" no longer applies to my hubby.  He was, at long last, selected to sit on the jury for a criminal trial.  He found the entire process to be quite interesting.  I'm a little jealous. 

My hubby has been summoned to jury duty for the umpteenth time in our marriage.  I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the man gets called once every year or two.  This time, the summons was from our local county courthouse.  If memory serves me correctly, the previous one was for a grand jury trial at the federal courthouse in Nashville.

For the record, my hubby is always dismissed in the final round of jury selection.

Here's my question.  Why is it that my hubby gets the call to jury duty so frequently when I, myself, have never been called once?  It's the same way with my Mom.  She's been called more times than I can count.  If the process is supposed to be completely random, why do they randomly call the same handful of people over and over again?

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining that I haven't been selected to participate in this particular civic duty.  I'm just curious to hear if you, dear readers, have ever had jury duty.  Well, have you?

On that note, I'm going to head up to the school for the dance.  Have a happy Friday!