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Pranks can be lots of fun — until they backfire on you
As a preteen, Hugh loved to upset his elders. I was not always a very easy person to play tricks on, as I had seen them all before, but his grandmothers were wonderful candidates for the full treatment. Their own children (they had just two each) had been wellbehaved, so they had less experience with adolescent high-jinks, so they reacted with the desired surprise at any prank. My mother-in-law was particularly easy to startle, and this made her a delight to scare. She would shriek and fall back against a wall, clutching at her heart as if a great silent movie actress of yore. On one occasion, my son hid in the big old front-loader clothes dryer in the garage utility area. My mother-in-law and I pulled into the garage after a shopping trip, and both of us left the car carrying a paper bag filled with glass bottles of soda — our entire week's supply. I passed the washer/dryer area without incident. But as she walked by the dryer, the door flew open and Hugh popped out with a loud "Boo!" Much to his delight, she reacted just as he had intended ... until the shopping bag fell to the cement floor with a loud crash, exploding bottles of his favorite soft drink! Since we lived quite a way from town, back in the woods, shopping trips were infrequent, so he knew that meant no soda for several hot summer days. As for me, that's when I discovered that peer pressure carried more weight than any hard words. For the next week, when plain ice water replaced a fizzy soft drink all around, he had to face the angry expressions of his siblings, as well as adult disapproval. There's a lot of excitement in the Whisper Bay subdivision this week, and it is beginning to sound like the Wild West. Several reports of coyote sightings are circulating, and it is rumored that pet cats are disappearing at an unusual rate. If you have any information about this, call Charlie Venable, the head of the Whisper Bay Civic Association, at 932-4778, or drop me a note via the Gulf Breeze News. While you're at it, tell Charlie what a good job he's doing for the Association. If, like me, you appreciate the appearance of the entry gate and our litter-free streets, you should know that Charlie personally monitors them every day.
There's no better time of year than the 'dog days' of August to remind readers about the importance of staying well-hydrated. Drinking water is one of the easiest things you can do to maintain your health. According to the Kansas State University's department of family and consumer sciences, it's the most abundant compound in the body, and the most important nutrient of all. Did you know that between 55- and 75-percent of your body weight is actually water? The critical functions of your body depend on water, including keeping the blood (which is 83 percent water) able to transport oxygen, hormones, enzymes and nutrients to the cells, and carrying away waste. It's also vital for digestion, temperature control, and lubricating the mucous linings of the organs. Waste products are removed in water by your kidneys. Dehydration can cause dizziness, fatigue, headache, depression and disorientation. It can also cause muscle cramping and loss of coordination. There's no other substance on earth like water, and nothing you can drink, no matter how much it costs, is better than water! |
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