Saturday, May 10, 2008

Polar Bears


Preface: Himself and I have been discussing what we will do when we become weebles. We've decided to follow the practice of the Inuits. When the elders feel they are becoming a burden to their family, they wander off into the frozen wilderness. Yeah, I know I whine a lot about the cold, the snow, and the ice, but I've never seen the Aurora Borealis. That's the carrot, and it offsets my dislike for the cold, the snow, and the ice. In this idyll, Himself and I, hand in hand, settle on an ice floe. We look up with wonder at the ribbons of color as the Aurora dances and blazes in the night sky until WHUMP! Polar bear food.

Himself and the Young One were heading out the door to karate classes. Himself would be teaching and The Young One would take a class and then assist in the tot's class.

"Put a jacket on," I said to The Young One.

"Mom," she replied as if I was feeble-minded. Her eyeballs were rolling in their sockets in that charming way of teens.

"It's 50 degrees outside." [I know to those of you in Minnesota this sounds ludicrous. Why you're thinking 50 degrees is balmy. We wear shorts and tee shirts. Maybe that's the case in The Land of Here There Be Dragons, but here in semi-Civilization, today's 50 degrees is cold, rainy, and damp.]

I look to Himself and do an imitation of the Young One.

"And this is the generation that will be looking after us." Obviously they don't have the sense that God gave a head of lettuce if they don't know to put on a coat when it's cold outside.

Himself smiles a no worries smile.

"Polar bears. It's why some animals eat their elders."

3 comments:

Erica Vetsch said...

LOL! Yup, shorts and tanktops when the temps hit 50.

Polar bear food? LOL YIKES! Not even for a gander at the Northern Lights.

CJ Kennedy said...

But, Erica, we'll be fashionably green! Well, green in the sense of helping the environment. (-;

Anonymous said...

Um, THIS Dragon born and devoted dweller wears jackets at 50.. However, I don't think I'll do the ice... BUT I have seen similar northern lights... amazing stuff!