Marshmallow Guns

We were having a wonderful time catching up with news of my brother Bob and wife Beth as soon as we arrived at their home. Our niece Julie came over, and that was extra special, because we seldom see her.

Sometime during dinner Nathaniel talked about a giant marshmallow in a movie, which rang a bell with Beth and Bob. They went downstairs and brought up three guns made of PVC pipe. They remembered buying the black one and using it as a pattern to make two white ones. The guns became the entertainment of the evening, keeping us all in stitches. Beth found miniature marshmallows and didn’t flinch as the boys practiced shooting.

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Knowing Bob is an accomplished brass player, I asked if he could make music, beautiful or otherwise, with a marshmallow gun. By then it had morphed into something resembling a trombone. He could play two good notes on it!

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In playing with the guns, the fellows found the white ones Bob had made were not glued together. There is no telling how many configurations they came up with, most of which could still fire sweet ammo.

Nathaniel was fairly sure one miniature bullet landed on the window sill two stories up. The next day they brought in the big ladder and retrieved it. Bob dusted the sill while he was up there.

Eating and shooting were not the only pastimes. Going to Costco was another fun outing. We had a membership in NY, but there isn’t one close to us anymore. We stocked up on nuts, cheeses, candy, and croissants. Nathaniel spotted a stuffed animal big enough for him, and both boys posed with it. We’re glad he didn’t want it, because the bear would not have fit in the car with all of us.

Bob talked about grilled Romaine lettuce and cooked some for us. He cut it in half and sprinkled it with balsamic vinaigrette and steak seasoning. It was surprisingly good, though a bit peppery for us.

We hadn’t been home for long when Nathaniel took a marshmallow gun across the street to show it to Logan. Old boy entertained young boy for an hour or more outside. I came back in after getting a few photos. As I walked past the door, I saw Nathaniel aim at a bird. Of course, the bird was in no danger, but I wondered what the scene would have been like if Nathaniel were sitting in a city park filled with hungry pigeons. He could have been the endangered species there.

Do We Need a Ladder?

I had a day off when John and our grandsons went to Tennessee for a train club meeting. What does a retired person do with a day off? Nothing much, but I loved drifting idly through the day. I walked to the creek, read the newspaper, worked the crossword puzzle, did the monthly backup of the computer, busted some dust from the kitchen, read email, rearranged my desk, played the piano, and mixed up some cookie dough.

Because I was eating alone on the porch, I noticed movement in the new pond John installed. He and grandson Nathaniel are still in the process of building a waterfall for me, since we had to leave our big one behind in New York. I immediately thought of the first death the other day. John said he fished a dead animal out of the water. I hurried outside to see what might need a rescue. It was a frog, frog being a general term, since I’ve forgotten all I ever knew about amphibians. The little critter was swimming frantically at the edge, trying to get out. I scooped him up with the shovel lying there and dumped him on the ground. He seemed stunned to be on land again. A bit later he disappeared, hopefully to live happily ever after unless a spoiled princess kisses him. For the record, I wasn’t tempted.

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My question is, do we need a ladder? We didn’t have a problem with animals getting in the raised pool at our former home. This one, set in the ground, is evidently tempting. If you have a solution for our dilemma, please let me know.

Young Men in the Mountains

Relaxing on the porch was something we did regularly, mostly when watching for streaks of lightning. One day David stretched out casually on the rail, and the toy camera included the somnolent bear to complete the silhouette.

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On David’s day off, we went for a drive on the parkway, stopping at an overlook where you could see the beginning of one of the cascades. David showed Nathaniel the path that led to it, and they were off. A few minutes later they shouted and waved when they reached the stream. David, wearing black, was almost invisible. Nathaniel stood next to him in a shaft of sunlight.

070616 D N at cascade stream — David crouched at the brink of the falls while Nathaniel stood beside him.

Dennis was fishing with the church youth group when a storm came up suddenly. He was in a kayak when a bolt of lightning hit the water — most impressive! At lunch time we had a picnic on the porch to enjoy the view of an upcoming storm while David was at work.

070616 Picnic on the porch — Dennis, Nathaniel, and John

We had one last photo to include Dennis. He was here 12 days, and we all enjoyed him.

070816 N Dennis D — Nathaniel, Dennis, and David

John drove him home to Brevard before going back to Asheville to have Snot’s handle replaced. Several days ago David reached to open the driver’s door, and the handle came off in his hand. I’m sure that will make son John $ feel better. About three years ago $ had the same thing happen when he tried to open the rear passenger door on the same side. I don’t know what it is about Sonatas that make them unable to handle people well.

Neighborhood Celebration

With a flurry of email and text messages, our group organized an impromptu party for the Fourth of July. People came from five of the six homes on this street. Not bad for six hours’ notice! Everyone brought something for the dinner, so we had quite a spread. The people who bought Amy’s house were here, meeting most of the others for the first time. It was so much fun to hear people sharing things about themselves.

Shawn and Bob brought a watermelon, and I was glad she asked him to cut it. He did a beautiful job, filling one bowl with picture-perfect slices and another with chunks that were easy to eat.

As Bob finished, I said, “Wow! You are house trained!” He rinsed all the utensils he used and then wiped down the counter. In all my born days, I can’t remember seeing a man clean the counter where he had worked.

Five in the crowd don’t know that I write in a public place, so because I don’t have their permission to share, I’ll use just initials. The most effervescent was F. She could turn the simplest story into an entertaining tale, embellishing it with animated gestures. Her husband, S, could carry on a good conversation face to face, but he yielded the stage to her. No one minded.

The new neighbors grew up in Minnesota and moved to the next town, Maggie Valley, nine years ago. J is a runner, and he asked if there were a circular route he could take that would be about seven miles long. We thought we were good to walk regularly, but he is in a class by himself. Someone said he runs up Qualla, the steep hill that I love to complain about.

Many conversations circled around to Shawn and Bob, the first ones to build on the street. He built their house, as well as the one next to it. They knew the histories of all the houses and the people in them.

I wish I could remember all the things we laughed about, but only one stuck in my mind. Joyce said to Bob, “I have a little bit of money to spend on the house, so would you look at my garage again?”

Bob said, “Wait until you have a LOT of money and then ask me.” Of course, he went on to say that he would be glad to see what she needed.

I felt the group was convivial, all nine of us joining in the conversation. Meanwhile, the young men and Logan ate on the porch where they could be as loud as they wanted. During the heat of the late afternoon, Dennis opened the water slide and set it up. Logan was delighted with it. The slide was a bit short and flimsy for the big boys, but it seemed just right for a six-year-old.

Before dark, Bob took the young set to Lake Junaluska to see the fireworks. They thought the show was good, but not long enough. Meanwhile, Joyce and Shawn sat on the porch with us after everyone else left. I love it when a party ends by degrees, not abruptly.

Fourth of July Minus One

We were dressed in holiday garb to go to church on July 3, which is something we always did in New York on the July 4^th weekend. The church down here was having a picnic after the service, and a number of people were wearing patriotic colors.

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We did not go to the church picnic, but what we did was unusual for us. We went shopping at Toys R Us and a hobby shop, looking for a replacement for the glider that disappeared into tall evergreens the other day. Certain ones checked out model trains first. Isn’t that what everyone does?

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We were in a silly mood.

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We spent more time looking at water toys than anything else and came home with a slide that the boys are eager to test. Gliders were not to be found anywhere. Don’t tell me our nation has become so high-tech that gliders are no longer stocked in stores!

Pistols at Dusk

Though not sizzling, the afternoon was hot and humid. Dennis checked to see if Logan, his foster brother, could come out to play with water guns. I’ll bet the young boy was very disappointed that he was on his way to a baby shower. The young men played, anyway, and came in drenched. While we were eating a late supper, Logan rang the doorbell. He was holding his new water pistol and sat on a step stool, waiting patiently for us to finish.

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John asked him about the gun.

“I got it for my birthday,” he replied.

“Do you know who gave it to you?”

“Yes,” he said. “David and Nate.”

John and I were impressed that he remembered. He opened his gifts in a tearing hurry, and we would not have expected him to know or care whose names were on them.

We had bought a set of four pistols to have at our house, so all the boys armed themselves and went out with Logan. I followed the sound of shrieks to the deck where I had a good view of the action. Logan strategized with Dennis, pulling him down to his level. The foster brothers ran down the slope to challenge the half-brothers. Actually, I don’t think they had teams. It was probably each man for himself. They were merciless, shooting each other at point blank range.

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At my request, Nathaniel used his phone to see when squirt guns were first used. It was in the 1860s!! The first ones were made of iron, plated with nickle, and held enough to shoot about 10 times. He then filled a gun and went outside to see how long ours would go. He said 147 times! We’ve come a long way.

I think I had a red water pistol when I was little. Does anyone else remember having one?

War and Peace

Dennis, the former neighborhood foster teen, stayed with us overnight a few weeks ago. He expressed interest in coming back to help with Vacation Bible School with his foster parents, Shawn and Bob. Plans were not finalized until two days before it started. We were halfway to Brevard after church, so we picked him up. Dennis and our grandsons quickly resumed their friendship from previous visits.

It wasn’t long before they pulled out the Nerf guns, a favorite pastime. I’m quite sure David and Nathaniel never played with them this much when they were boys. With age came more sophisticated play. Surprisingly, there was less noise and more strategy. The one most appropriately dressed was Dennis. Somewhere they found a never-worn camouflage outfit that belonged to David. The label said it was a small size, but it fit Dennis perfectly. Children might have resented being asked to pose, but these young men pandered to the wishes of the toy camera.

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Digging trenches was the other war front. Dennis was at Bible School every morning, and David worked four days. That left Nathaniel and John to attack the waterfall project. John was very thankful for N’s young back. The two of them moved earth and dug out rocks. Since our garden was inhabited by inherited plants, I forgot the terrain would be rocky. They found plenty of evidence that we live in the mountains.

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Shawn and I agreed that having potluck dinners would be an efficient way to feed everyone It was a lovely, if slightly frenetic, way for all eight of us to visit. The photo shows the transition from war to peace.

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One evening Logan was particularly restive when the rest of us wanted to settle in our chairs to visit. We had an unopened Lego engine that kept him occupied. Luckily, he was sitting next to the Lego enthusiast, David. The toy was not easy to assemble, and they hit a snag when one of the pieces broke. Someone searched the big box of Legos and found a replacement.

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Several days later the big fellows were playing at the table, waiting for everyone to finish eating. I told them Logan would have been envious. Dennis and Nathaniel completed the engine. Ta da!!

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Although the days were quite warm, the air cooled in the evening. Someone noticed flashes of light in the sky which never did develop into a thunderstorm, but we went to the front porch to watch. I laughed at the way we settled in, because John just bought two more chairs to accommodate more people. He placed the new chairs and the rockers in two conversation groups. When I went out to look, I said our house looked like an old folks’ home. Guess it is, at that. David and Dennis promptly perched on the railing while looking at their phones.

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After a day with rain showers, the fellows burned all the garden debris in the burn pit. Logan was attracted to the activity, and soon Dennis and David were throwing the glider with him. The day wasn’t complete until the plane got hung up in the evergreen tree. David and Dennis ended the day peacefully sitting by the dying embers.

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Logan is Six

We teased a lot about Logan’s being Dennis the Menace, while we filled our roles as the old couple next door, the Wilsons. We may still play George and Martha, but it officially came to an end today. Dennis the Menace is a perpetual five-year-old, and Logan has outgrown him.

We sang Happy Birthday while Logan waited to blow out the candle.

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Someone said, “We’ve gotta sing the family song.” There was a little reluctance, but the whole family joined in. I thought it was going to be something short and silly, but it was more like a polished show tune. Shawn said she remembered her grandmother singing this birthday song, so it has been in their family a long time.

Logan was eager to show off his swing set, given by a neighbor whose children had outgrown it. Our grandson Nathaniel offered to go around to the back of the house with him. It was easy for me to step out on the deck above and get a quick shot of the six-year-old and the six footer swinging together. It wasn’t until I saw the photo that I realized the frame was set up as only neighbor Bob would have done it. Two logs made a solid footing on one end. Living on the edge of a sloping mountain calls for level-headed ingenuity.

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The gift that was the hit of the party was a sprinkler. You load a ball at the top, and it spirals down to be shot up in the air by the water. Amazingly, the ball sometimes stayed on top of the spray for a minute or so. The young children put on swimsuits and got soaking wet. Grandsons David and Nathaniel were right there in the action, but they knew how to avoid the spray.

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The party ended on a quieter level as Logan challenged David to a game of checkers.

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Five Years and Seven Inches Later

From the beginning, our two grandsons have always gotten along very well. Five years ago David, at 16, towered over Nathaniel after one of his teenly growth spurts. Nathaniel was probably of average height for a boy of eleven. That summer we took a day trip upstate to look at minor waterfalls and ate at a Burger King restaurant between points of interest. While the boys were clowning around, I took a quick photo that made it appear David was lording or kinging it over Nathaniel. It was always one of my favorites because the boys were having fun together.

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Five years later it was Nathaniel’s turn to play the 16-year-old. He is 6’4” tall now. When I mentioned Burger King crowns, David immediately knew the incident and the picture I was thinking of. He is working at Burger King this summer and brought home two crowns for a reenactment on the first day of Nathaniel’s visit.

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A new twist was Nathaniel’s wearing two crowns like a checkers king and David trumping his stance by pointing to the logo on his official hat.

More in character is a shot of them with their arms about each other. Our summer is off to a wonderful start.

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Monday’s Paper

On the first day of summer, I reverted to my warm weather routine in the morning. After John and I walked, I turned on the recirculating pump in the angel fountain and sat down to read the newspaper on the front porch. We’ve decided that’s about the only way I can enjoy the sound, because after half an hour or so, the fountain begins to leak. It’s an odd job, being the guardian of an angel. You’d think a concrete angel would be tough enough to take care of herself. Several times I forgot to turn off the pump, and I came back to hear desperate sucking noises from that angel. Without me, her heart would fail.

I had gotten quite warm while walking, so cooling down beside the fountain seemed inviting. I followed the usual pattern, reading all the headlines and continuing with an article only if I were interested. We take the Asheville paper, which is like the New York Times in one way only – the size of the paper it is printed on. As I finished the comics, I realized I was cold, almost shivering, in fact. Jeans and a light cotton top didn’t have many insulating qualities.

Going inside, I said to John, “I’m glad this is Monday when the paper is tiny, because I’m nearly frozen.”

He laughed, realizing I stayed outside until I finished reading it. He replied, “That’s not surprising. It was 50 degrees when we left the house, you know.”

Brrrrr! Do you think I need to get the angel a coat?

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