Dan’s grandfather is called Dzadzi (pronounced Jahjy). It is Polish for grandpa. Dzadzi told us a good story about the drainage pipe behind his house. I guess the pipe is about 4ft in diameter and just sticking out of the side of the hill, not covered or anything. Water comes out of it, but it’s never full and even dries out completely at times. According to Dzadzi all the boys in the neighborhood and even some of the girls would climb into this pipe and crawl up as far as the road in front of the house and even farther. They could get to several manhole covers at the street but did not climb out as the manhole covers are quite heavy to lift. Kids routinely played inside this pipe, including Dan’s father, who told us that it was dark, but you just take a candle or flashlight and you’re all set. Dzadzi said that once some kids had a fire going inside the pipe and smoke was coming out of it. The parents were afraid that kids might be stuck inside, but no one was. They had some trouble putting out the fire because it caught on the top inside surface of the pipe where it was coated with tar. I guess they finally managed to put it out and ascertain that no one was trapped or hurt. Currently the pipe is a bit smaller, still open for at least a few feet before a grate blocks your way. This according to Dan who had also explored it when he was little.
I saw a turtle the other day. He was walking towards my car parked in the turnaround. It looked like he had just come from the road. I wondered how he crossed without getting killed. I was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to get to where there was water and might turn back to the road and get hit, so I picked him up and put him in a pail. I walked him out to a spot I know is wet back near the neighbor’s cornfield. Before I left I showed him to Dan and the neighbor on the other side. The turtle was quiet at first, but as I walked with him he got totally nervous and kept trying frantically to climb out of the pail. When I got to this wet spot, I turned the bucket sideways to let him escape. He toddled as fast as possible into the water and under the surface, scattering a bunch of tadpoles. Once underwater he looked much calmer and I walked back home with my empty bucket.
More words (and why not?):
Eat pickles!
Gregory, Sue and Boris, Igor, Eloise and Morris, Theodore, Jane and Adeline and Ben-
And that makes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, 8- 9- 10!
Strong Bad, I swallowed your computer, I mean a small bug. I swallowed a small bug.