XIV enero XXI
GRANDPA, tell us a story por favor. A true one and not like last time.
What? I ALWAYS tell true stories and don’t you forget it. Sometimes they don’t SEEM to be true but in those cases a message or moral is hidden at the end that you have to sort out AND actually LEARN something from.
Whatever. What does it mean to ‘drain the swamp?’ How do they drain a swamp and have you ever seen such a thing?
The closest thing I have ever seen for sure that I can share with you is one time some time ago I was playing golf. It was a Wednesday night league match at Chase Oaks before it was Watters Creek. You know which course I mean right Mikey?
‘Yessir’.
Well sir, we were playing this one hole, number 8 I think, towards the end heading back towards the clubhouse. By this time I had my match won so I had some time to reflect, think and enjoy the walk before reaching the 19th.
You’re digressing Grandpa.
Thank you Sweetie. I am getting ahead of myself.
Some workers were just finishing hooking up a large pump and routing all the hoses and lines into a large lake to take all the water out of it into that creek that runs in front of the green.
Why were they doing that? A lake isn’t a swamp Grandpa.
I know Mikey and if you will be still, listen, avoid more interruptions and pay attention Grandpa will be finished faster and we can get along with life.
So the head worker starts the pump and it is making lots of noise but the fish, mostly carp, can’t hear it underwater.
Really?
Michael, you heard what he said about interruptions.
Thanks you Sweetie.
After a few minutes, Carp A says to Carp D ‘do you hear something?
Carp D says 'no'.
About ten (10) minutes later, A asks D again you hear anything?
'Yes' says D 'now that you mention it. A little hum maybe.'
A says good. I thought I was hearing things.
Meanwhile all the different fish, turtles and assorted amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates had lots of room to swim around and walk around on the bottom as the case may be.
Some time passes and D says to A that there seems to be a lot more fish in here and turtles as well.
A little while goes by and A says to D things are getting a little crowed around here all of a sudden.
Yes and have you noticed that hum getting louder?
'Yes but no time for that. Look at all these tasty invertebrates and crustaecions. It’s chow time' and they proceeded to eat BEYOND there fill. This was called bliss in the world of carp.
'At this rate we’ll be fat and happy in no time' said A to D.
The water was getting lower and lower and as this is happening all the little creatures including the big fish we getting closer and closer together.
Before long Carp D says to Carp A 'this is getting a little too crowded for my liking let’s move to deeper water where there’s more room to swim and feed'. So they did.
D was correct they had more room and space to move around. But it wasn’t long before more of the pond creatures started showing up and once again things started getting crowed.
By now the pond is almost drained and as it emptied, the fish panicked and started swimming around faster and hectically. All the other lake residents got frantic as well as there was no place else to go as teh water disappreaded and the water level dropped
.
The water was now all gone and all that remained was thick nasty mud. The creatures were either flipping, flopping or wiggling as the sun was out and it was hot like 40°. Except for the turtles. They were walking to the creek where the water was going but some of the larger turtles were killed by the laborers.
Why did they kill the big snapping turtles Grandpa?
Michael !!
It’s OK Sweeetie.
They were killing the snappers because they were very good to eat AND they ate little boys that ask a kot of questions so can I go on?
Why not little girls?
MICHAEL!! We want this over already.
Well, that’s a good question. The answer is because girls are too sweet for the turtles to like.
But Grandpa, a lake isn’t a swamp and we don’t get the connection.
You guys are right there IS a difference. A swamp is bigger, has more despicable creatures and dangerous inhabitants and takes longer to drain.
How much longer?
If you’re lucky, four years.
WOW! That’s a long time.
Not really. Draining a swamp might take as many as EIGHT (8) years to drain it right and properly.
The point is and the connection is that when the creatures get crowded for space and things start looking like it might be curtins, they panick and get frantic scrambling like they don't know what to do or where to go because they don't.
OK. So whichever one of you can tell me why the swamp creatures go nuts, wins the prize.
What’s the prize?
One dollar.
WOW!!
No. That’s too much. A nickel. Maybe a dime.
I’m not going to even guess for a dime.
Make it a quarter?
Let’s get this done and settle. How about a half-dollar?
OK.
Good. It’s settled.
How much is half a dollar Grandpa?
Well, you are going to have to figure that out Mikey. Write it down and figure it out and I'd hurry I were you. You’re sister has a little head start.
Maybe if your nice she will share OR perhaps she will tell you how much a half-dollar is but I wouldn’t bet on it.
GRANDPA !!
Mikey, don’t complain and don’t whine. It's very unbecoming. And besides complainers and whiners seldom gain ground in the game of life. Write that down.
A half-dollar is fifty (.50) cents.
Thank you Sweetie.
All I have is two (2) quarters so you figured it out and they are both yours.
Well, Grandpa that isn’t really fair. I already knew what a dollar was and what a half of that was.
Here Mikey. A quarter is half of a half-dollar.
That’s so nice of you to share.
With a quick wink, he slips her a second quarter.
