April Fools

Here's an early one...Yesterday afternoon we went to the grocery store. On the way there we passed one of the new housing developments near Pungo. On each side built into the front of the grand entrance "name wall" is about a 3 foot by 12-15 foot brick pool with 3 small fountains gushing about 3-4 feet into the air.

Someone had added Mr. Bubble or a strong facsimile thereof!

It was going very well, even overflowing with bubbles spilling over the walls and on the ground, some cluster bubbles blowing across the road. But when we came back from our errands it was still going strong! It was very high and massive; it looked like it had snowed and you couldn't even see the fountains anymore! That was just too cool. Where's a camera when you need it?!

We discussed the fact that in this day and age kids are growing up with sometimes 'deadly' pranks. We see it on the news all the time...riding down the road whacking people off their bicycles with sticks, or jumping and beating folks while video taping themselves having fun doing it. The Mr. Bubble Fountain, in truth, was a prank; while wrong, it gave no bodily hurt to anyone (except maybe whoever gets caught, if ever) and indeed, brought smiles I'm sure, to all those who rode past that day. This simple, quick and easy to do prank was a dinosaur, harking back to gentler times when people didn't grow up wanting to cause pain to others with no remorse. Pulling a pigtail, tying shoelaces together, putting a "kick me" sign on someone's back...all examples of a "Do I, or don't I?" need to generate excitement and fun at someone's expense of momentary embarrasment or displeasure.

Nothing evil-minded.

Pray for the youth who grow up without real joy and have to hurt others for fun.

Now for the "if you didn't see it you'd never believe it" moment. Danny saw me this morning from the car as he was leaving for work. Being the sweetheart he is, he came back to give me a kiss goodbye and came to the front door. First he killed a big bug that was coming in the door for me. Then he knocked a wasp away who was resting on the door frame. We smiled about the critters and he prepared to leave. Looking up to see if there were more wasps his eyes lighted on something we'd never thought to see.

It would appear that this poor fellow has committed some sort of suicide, perhaps accidentally hooking his snout in a crack in the metal running behind the fascia board. We don't use the front door too much anymore; Danny got a UPS deliver last week but either didn't notice him due to looking the other way on the floor, or the mouse wasn't there. Do you think he made a jump from the door?

I really believe this is one of life's little mysteries we hear so much about.