kids say...

Those of you who know Miss Marie know that she tends to be dramatic.  Overly dramatic.

(Side note #1: a tree branch fell off one of the locust trees in our backyard a week or so ago.)
(Side note #2: In the last story of The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Suess, What Was I Scared Of?, "I" has repeated frightening encounters with a pair of pale green pants.  At one point in the story, "I had to run in errand - had to pick a peck of snide - in a dark and gloomy snide field - that was almost nine miles wide.")

So the other day when she let out a shrill, ear-splitting shriek that lasted a minute or more (as she often does), I didn't go running outside.  I finished starting a load of whites and then made my way upstairs.  Marie was sitting in the kiddie pool in the backyard, still bellering.

I poked my head out the screen door.  "What's the matter with Marie?" I asked Leah, who, also used to Marie's overly dramatic moments, was calmly reading a her book report book on the patio.

"I don't know," she shrugged.

"Marie!" (Still shrieking.)

"Marie!" (Abrupt stop.)

"Marie Eve, what in the world are you screaming about?  You know Mama does not want you yelling that loud now that we have neighbors living close by!"

"But...but..my pool is full of snide!" Marie wailed.

"Full of what?" again I turned toward Leah.

"Snide." Leah replied, not even glancing up from her book.  "Marie's been picking a peck of snide off the tree branch and she dumped it all in the pool and now I guess she's mad about it."

Chuckling, I headed back inside and brought Marie the kitchen colander.  She and Nath were busy fishing "snide" out of the pool for quite a while after that.

Oh, kids!  What next?  :-)