Lemons & Mud

Screen door slams and Jacob's feet make tracks to find his Grandma in the kitchen.
"Grandma, I was so skeered last night! The storm made everything go dark and it was noisy!"
"Ah," says Grandma, "God was bowling again."
With eyes as big as saucers, Jacob questions, "Huh????"
"Well, isn't it less scary if you just think about God throwing his bowling ball and making strikes?"
A small grin starts and then a giggle. "Grandma, you're funny!" But the lights went out and I couldn't watch TV or do nuttin'."
"Jacob, go bring me that big flashlight I keep next to my bed, would you please?"

Zoom out and zoom back.

"Grandma, what happened to the lights and where are you!"
"I'm under the table, Jacob ... come under here with me and hand me the flashlight, OK?"
Scurrying under the tablecloth, Jacob turns on the flashlight.
"Now, dark can be fun, honey and we'll make our own TV. Aim the light at the darkest place.
Now watch." Grandma make a fist and holds up two fingers. "What's that look like, Jacob?"
"Wow, a bunny!"
"If I link my thumbs together and wave my hands, what do you see?"
"Grandma! It's a butterfly! Make another!"
"Your turn, Jacob. Fold your hands as if you were praying ... that's good.
Now turn them sideways and open and close them. Oh my, Jacob! You made an alligator!"
The shadow play went on for some time and Grandma was feeling achey.
"Jacob, you're going to have to give me a hand to get out and up!
Following a few groans, Grandma said, "Good job. Gimme five!"
Palms met. "Now Jacob, gimme five more ... use your other hand!

Cool, now we have ten and that's how many pins we need to bowl."
"We're going bowling, Grandma?"
"Yes, in the garage," she replying laughing. "We'll use your soccer ball.
And we'll raid the recycle bin for ten plastic things to use for pins."
"Awesome, Grandma. May I ask a question?"
"Sure."
"Why don't you keep the car in the garage like Mommy and Daddy do?"
"Jacob, I couldn't bowl with a car in there. Now scoot!"

Using the fingers to make sure they had ten "pins", a motley assortment at best with plastic quart milk containers,
dishwashing liquid and whatever, the game got underway with squeals of laughter from Jacob
and with Grandma huffing and puffing resetting.
"OK, Jacob. You win! Grandma needs some lemonade!"
"Could I have a soda?"
"Nah, not now ... tell ya what, we'll use the pink lemonade and the colored staws and slurp."

"Cool! Grandma, I 'posed to practice my letters but it's hard."
She asked, "Did you bring your drawing tablet?"
"Uh huh", he replied reaching for his backpak ...
"OK first let's slurp." Obscene noises and giggles followed. "Now we'll use one of my magic pencils."
"Ah, there's no magic."
"Jacob, we'll see about that! Practice can be hard so let's make it fun."

Jacob wasn't buying into this. "Hmmm, guess I'll have to start ...
I'll draw two sticks. Now that one could be an "l" but if I use the other one and put a half moon at the bottom, I've got a "b"."
Jacob kept watching. "Now if I made another stick and put the half moon at the bottom on the other side, would that be a "d"?"
"Gosh, Grandma. It is like magic. Lemme try. Oooh! I did 'em. But I can't make my m real good."
"Draw a hill, Jacob. Put another one beside it."
"Wow! What's the magic for e, Grandma?"
"Half moon and draw a line .... "
"I got it, Grandma!"

"You'll have to show Mommy and Daddy how to make neat letters and also explain the ten fingers. Want some more magic?"
"YES!"
"Well all the letters have different sounds and when you put the sounds together, you make words.
Then you can write the words and read them. Say "B" for me and print it, OK?" Jacob did.
"Now do you know something that buzzes and flies and has a stinger?"
"Sure," said Jacob, 'a bee'. Oh!"
Laughing, Grandma showed Jacob how to add two "E's" to the "B".
And Jacob had learned how to write a word!
"We'll learn more of the letter sounds when you come next weekend
and we'll print little stories together when we get all the sounds but for now I think we should bake."

"Cookies?"
"Maybe later, but with all that rain we had from God bowling I was thinking .... "
Jacob was off like lightening hollering, "Mud pies!"
While Grandma pulled on her old garden shoes, she said a little prayer.
"Dear God, thank you for lemons to make lemonade, thank you for mud for pies,
thank you for rolling a perfect score, and thank you for never getting anyone to fix that screen door."

"Grandma!"
"Coming, Jacob!"

And as the screen door slammed behind her she lifted her hand to the sky and high fived God.

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