Crumpled Home

It’s a little quiet at home right now. LR is away at horse riding camp and the normal level of intensity at our place has dropped a bit – although only a little bit, the RJ reality distortion field is still fully operational.

Pony camp is an amazing place — I get all fluttery just thinking about it — a magical land where you spend all day riding horses, cleaning and scrubbing horses, feeding horses, and (be still my beating heart) shoveling horse manure and cleaning out stalls. Mom insists that this is little girl heaven, but I’m not totally convinced.

For the first time in her life, she has ‘her own’ mobile phone with her (it’s a spare that we’ve borrowed from Poppa for the week). We told her it’s just for emergencies or if something goes wrong and she needs to talk to us. After giving her one or two instructions on how to use it, we carefully put it in her backpack and waved goodbye.

Five hours later, while deep in the middle of one of my projects,  I was interrupted by an unexpected phone call… from LR and a room full of 7 year old girls suffering some kind of ‘emergency’ involving a large amount of giggling. Apparently, she had to test to see if the phone was still working properly…

Regardless, I’m looking forward to having her back when she gets home… as long as she leaves her boots outside.

Just before she left, she drew this on the fridge for us.

The fridge cow will keep you company while LR is away.

(while Mom and LR were away)

RJ: Dad. I have an idea!

Dad: What’s that?

RJ: We should call Mom and when she answers the phone, don’t say anything… then hang up!

Dad: Okay…

RJ: And then we call her again and when she answers the phone this time… keep quiet and then hang up.

Dad: And after that?

RJ: Then we call again! And still say nothing and then hang up!

Dad: How many times do we keep doing this?

RJ: Just about seven should be enough.

Dad: And why on Earth would we do this?

RJ: I just think it could be the most annoying thing for her ever.

Dad: You might very well be right. Let’s save this idea for another time.

LR awoke to a huge pile of presents. Yeah!!!!

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(in the car, on the way home from school)

RJ: (holding plastic box to his ear) Hello, mum?
…
RJ: Yes. What are you doing?
…
RJ: Making dinner? … Mmmm. That sounds great. We’re going to be home soon.
…
RJ: Oh… What? Hang on… What?

(suddenly yelling) WHAT WAS THAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU WELL.
…
RJ: IT’S A PROBLEM. A MOUSE HAS CUT THE WIRE! I’LL TALK TO YOU LATER.