YOU had a bad day?!? Listen to this...

Sometimes you just know that it's gonna be a bad day by the way you wake up. The day before was soooo awesome. Friday. The boys went to the fair, rode all the rides, and ate like typical 12 year olds. (Even I eat with some dignity - Hi, there. Henry the dog here.) They went for a swim right before dusk, and spent the perfect evening eating popcorn and watching TV up in the club house. What boy could ask for more. They even got to hold hands. Nooooooooooo, not with each other... with Elly and Indigo. They fell asleep, Stephen in his Superman Sleeping bag, and Jarred in his Lone Ranger one. The bags were getting old and beat up, but boy were they comfortable. (Even I get to sleep on one now and then.) The stars were out, it was a perfect 76 degrees with a light easternly breeze flowing in and out of the club house windows. Paradise!!! Right up until................."OUCH!!! WHAT THE........... OOOOOOWWWWW! CraaaAAAp." Jarred said. "Wha, what's going on?" Stephen sleepily asked. "Splin-uh-ter." He starts to pull it out. "I got a (tug) Oooww, splinter (tug) Oooow, on my, (he yanked) OUCH!!!.... A**!" Jarred squeeled unintentionally loud. "JARRED CHAD CROW!" they heard called from just inside the kitchen window. "Since you are so enthusiastic about talking about your BEHIND, why don't you get it up and get started on your two days worth of chores." Mr. Crow finished. The two boys grumbled as they rolled up their bags, and stuffed 'em into their respective storage crates.

"See ya later." Stephen said. Jarred just clumsily raised his hand in a good-bye kind of gesture, and mumbled something under his breath. The only way the boys were able to go to the fair Friday night, was to promise all their Friday and Saturday chores would be done by 2pm Saturday. It was 8am and time wasn't gonna pause for the boys. Stephen stopped to poke a stick at some possum road kill when................ "STEPHEN JOHN MEYERS. You leave that poor animal alone and get in this house." Mrs. Meyers said. Stephen thought 'Awe man, they used both of our middle names. This is not going to be a good day for either one of us.' Momma Meyers went on "You have just short of 6 hours to do about 7 hours worth of work. You better get a move on young man. Your father is gonna inspect all your work this time ya know." Then she started to just talk to herself as she walked back into the kitchen. Stephen headed up stairs to change into his work clothes, and could barely hear her any more. "I don't know why you try to get away with doing your work only half way. You'd think you'd lost your mind trying to pull a fast one on your dad. You know if he doesn't catch it now, it's only a matter of time before he does. And you know the repercussions. It's like you keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, you'll get away with it this time." "AND DON'T GO TROMPING THROUGH MY HOUSE WITH THOSE DIRTY SHOES ALL OVER MY FLOOR." "Just mopped 'em." She finished. Such a sweet momma, and she could finish a conversation with or without you.

The chores went on, and toward the close of that days sun shining in Gruberville, the boys returned to the club house where they found themselves comparing notes just to see who could win a worst day contest. The list sorta went like this:
Stephen: Shredded the toe of his dads work boot, by getting his foot too close to the lawn mower. (His toes are all still there. He thanked God the boots were steel toe.)
With a rake, broom, and garbage bags under his arm, he backed into the garage window and broke it.
Ran (stomped) through the kitchen to get some tools, from the basement for the lawn mower, and his moms special "bake sale" cake fell.
Cut his finger, and cracked 3 knuckles working on the mower.
Tossed his new red jacket into the washing machine with the bleaching white clothes. Faded pink EVERYTHING (including his tighty-whities).
Got caught cussing at the lawn mower. Half a bar of soap (Lava) for 5 minutes.
Ran into his room, and stepped on little brother James' model car. CRUSHED.
Got two whacks for "finishing" the fight James started. WHACK. WHACK.
Little sister was crying about tripping on last step, Stephen got blamed, sequestered, and eventually acquitted.
And the final bad news ties in with Jarred's final:

Jarred: Shredded the pillow case that was blown off the clothes line while mowing his lawn.
Broke Mrs. Crow's favorite Vase while dusting the living room. CRASH
Ran through the kitchen and knocked 2 dozen cookies (Also for bake sale.) to the no longer clean but grassy floor that matched his grassy shoes.
Scraped both knees tripping over the car jack in the driveway.
Put his grass stained jeans in the wash with Sandy's 2 delicate blouses. RUINED.
Bar of soap for 5 minutes, for early morning ("splinter in my A$$) offense.
With head tilted back, blindly walked into bathroom for tissue for bleeding nose, stepped on big brothers gym bag (who "sort of accidentally" bopped his nose in the first place) - inside of the bag was racquetball racket.... handle now CRACKED.
Got 2 whacks for starting fight with Sandy over lack of blackmail cookies. WHACK WHACK.
Got tried and convicted for the racquetball racket. One months allowance gone.

And the final blow for both of the boys. The "BOB" stopped by and showed them one of the Slumber Party video tapes they found hidden around the neighborhood. They went on yapping about how they were going to find all the tapes, and then the boys would be in some deep trouble. And the boys almost blew it by yapping back, but caught each other with a glance that said shut up for now, we'll talk later. And so later, they did. They decided that each time the girls came up with evidence of one of the tapes, they would quickly replace it without bragging about it to the girls. It would take a bit of sneaking but the boys would have to periodically check the other tapes security. If they went about the task with intent, the BOB might be following them someday and start finding the tapes. So the plan was to pretend to even think about the tapes but get proof when one showed up: Description of location of where tape was found , and the tape it's self. (Unless trampled on by the BOB, then pieces would do.) Then and only then would the boys check the other locations while the BOB was at some kind of activity that kept them all together. "Gotta be careful. Ya know?" asked Stephen. "I know." replied Jarred. "Now I think we're gonna have to call this one a draw, and try to forget that this day ever happened." "Amen to that." Stephen sighed.


This is your Roaming Rover Reporter, Henry, signing off.