Suddenly it's summer, so the pool had to be set up. Today it's 90 F and tomorrow it's expected to be 95 (and the humidity is about the same since there are massive rain storms on the way--it's miserable, like living through a Tennesee Williams play). Frederick, as usual, was the first in when there was less than 3 inches of water in the pool. Thomas came out to see what all the squealing was about and quickly got his swimsuit on when he saw that we had gotten the pool set up--and his excitement quickly faded when he got in and his ankle bones ached from cold and his lips turned purple. Frederick is completely immune to the cold but Thomas has more feline sensibilities. But, being a good sport, he put on a brave face and was determined to amuse Frederick, which he did.
An annual favorite, Thomas has mastered the pratfall, and Frederick still thinks it hilarious. Will they still do this in 20 years? What about in 40?
Thomas tried to pick up and toss Frederick about but, since there is only about 8 pounds difference between the two, he couldn't quite manage it.
Frederick is a slippery little dickens; Thomas tried several times to flip and roll him but no dice. (Note ducks giving the boys hard stares. They don't mind us in the back yard but, they want us to know that this is, after all, THEIR yard and all this splashing about is rather annoying. Ducks are incredibly curious birds. If I do any yard work it is not too long before I find them within a few feet of me. Moreover, their stares are a strange mix of interest and disapproval.)
So Thomas resorted to a tried and true method: kamakazi style attack. He grabbed Frederick and dropped, pulling him under the water with him and it worked, they both sunk like a stone. Of course I yelled at Thomas for being reckless but obviously Frederick loved it.
WHAT, exactly, is so hilarious about being whipped about by Thomas while he leaps about in the pool like a a monkey on LSD, I'm not sure, but Frederick finds it all endlessly hilarious and it keeps him amused for hours in the hottest, most tedious parts of the day (that dreaded, "dead" part of the day, 4-7 pm when we have to prep dinner when we are hot, tired and it's too early to send anyone to bed though we would desperately love to go to bed).
I don't remember last year's June being so hot but, last year at this time we were having endless car and other troubles, so perhaps it was this hot and we were so crazed we didn't know it. But if this is any clue as to what this is what summer is going to be like, roll on Autumn 'cause this blows big time.
An annual favorite, Thomas has mastered the pratfall, and Frederick still thinks it hilarious. Will they still do this in 20 years? What about in 40?
Thomas tried to pick up and toss Frederick about but, since there is only about 8 pounds difference between the two, he couldn't quite manage it.
Frederick is a slippery little dickens; Thomas tried several times to flip and roll him but no dice. (Note ducks giving the boys hard stares. They don't mind us in the back yard but, they want us to know that this is, after all, THEIR yard and all this splashing about is rather annoying. Ducks are incredibly curious birds. If I do any yard work it is not too long before I find them within a few feet of me. Moreover, their stares are a strange mix of interest and disapproval.)
So Thomas resorted to a tried and true method: kamakazi style attack. He grabbed Frederick and dropped, pulling him under the water with him and it worked, they both sunk like a stone. Of course I yelled at Thomas for being reckless but obviously Frederick loved it.
WHAT, exactly, is so hilarious about being whipped about by Thomas while he leaps about in the pool like a a monkey on LSD, I'm not sure, but Frederick finds it all endlessly hilarious and it keeps him amused for hours in the hottest, most tedious parts of the day (that dreaded, "dead" part of the day, 4-7 pm when we have to prep dinner when we are hot, tired and it's too early to send anyone to bed though we would desperately love to go to bed).
I don't remember last year's June being so hot but, last year at this time we were having endless car and other troubles, so perhaps it was this hot and we were so crazed we didn't know it. But if this is any clue as to what this is what summer is going to be like, roll on Autumn 'cause this blows big time.
3 comments:
Looks riotous wonderful fun - but it's quite hard to spot the resentful ducks.
xM
Click on the picture of Thomas giving Frederick a bear hug, it should enlarge and you can see them, hovering in the background just to the right of Thomas' face. They are always together, never more than about 6 inches apart--indeed, I don't think they have been more than 6 inches apart since the minute I brought them home. I don't know how they make decisions on how to go as they make their way through the yard in a day, but there they are, always together. Zachary Quack, the female, is the more cautious and suspicious one. Pretzel, the one with the black spots, has a more voracious appetite and that is his downfall--he risks getting close to humans in order to see if they have delicious treats.
OK got them. Looking a bit aloof and judgemental I thought!
xM
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