Great Balls of Fire!
I was standing here at the printer a few minutes ago, printing all sorts of great pages for our nature studies following seasonal migration using the Journey North program. The big kids were all playing outside.
I heard a loud, “READY?” That word struck fear in me. I leaned back to peer around the edge of the cabinet door to see Sparkly in the back yard with the bow and arrow (this is Sweet Pea’s plastic bow and arrow set strung with yarn, but it does fly quite a distance…) pointed skyward towards our house.
**Great balls of fire…**
I started moving quickly to the window hearing Sweet Pea and Peanut loudly announce their readiness from the front yard…moving more swiftly now dodging toys and the baby…
TWANNNNNGGGGGGG….the arrow was launched over our house just in time for me to get to the window and sternly reprove my son. He tried to seem remorseful, but he couldn’t hide his grin of delight. He ran around the house as I ran to the front window.
I’m relieved to see that Sweet Pea and Peanut are standing well clear of the potential landing zone as visions of an arrow protruding from the roof of our house are now racing through my head.
The arrow sailed completely (thanks be to God) over our house and landed almost by the road next to the mailbox, point down in the front yard. I allow myself to breathe again as no one is hurt. The 12 year old and the 4 year old are dancing gleefully and congratulating their brother for such a hearty shot across the bow.
Sparkly communicates to his brother and sister that this will be the only attempt to launch the arrow over the house and points to me looking extremely distressed and most seriously displeased.
Mental note: perhaps it is time again to discuss safety measures and exercising good judgment with outdoor equipment…and to resolve to use that bottle of hair color to cover up the 50 new gray hairs I now have!
Thank you Guardian Angels!
Been in those shoes many, many times myself. And, yes, it definitely gives you new gray hairs 🙂I enjoy reading your blog. Thank you for sharing with us.
Imagine my shock and horror when I had a spare moment at work and I read this update to the blog. I can picture it so well. You peeking around the corner and seeing Sparkly pointing the bow skyward directly at the house! As you can imagine, I was panicked! Racing through my mind was that the life expectancy of my three oldest children was the amount of time it was going to take me to drive home! If you have ever paid for a new roof (this one is only 2 years old), you can understand that an arrow stuck straight down in it is not desirable (My wife will tell you that I am very Scottish. Read that as cheap). Oh yeah… I was also concerned about the safety of the children. I promise!! As I continued reading (and my blood pressure lowered), I found myself laughing and amazed. I can see that to the children it made perfect sense and they don’t understand why their mother wants them to stop. It also amazes me that a bowstring made of yarn has the strength to propel an arrow that far. I guess I was just kidding myself when I thought a yarn bowstring would be safer! This post has brightened my day. Thanks. I promise I will try to keep a straight face when I talk to the kids tonight!
I have to laugh – because as I was reading your post ds (G) came in from outside upset – he had fallen into a container of oil dh had left out after changing the oil…
Every time a bow twaings an angel gets his wings!The ten-year-old in me is jealous I never thought of that
Oh my kids just dont think do they? Well thats why they have more fun than we do. lOL
Just an update – DH had emptied the container of oil and it was mainly rain water –