Ian (looking unaccountably excited for a Wednesday morning):
“I just got an email from my dad. Can I share it?”
Me (willing to be late to find out what the excitement is
all about): “Sure.”
Ian: “Okay. So when my mom’s mom passed away [25 or more years ago? Ian was a kid . . .],
they told all of us kids to go through her house and if we saw anything that we
liked, we should say something. So I saw this stuffed turtle, and it had
marbles for eyes, and I thought it was pretty cool, so I asked for that."
Me (in my head): Hmmm!
I wonder how old it is? They must have used glass for stuffed animal eyes
before plastics became so popular.
Ian: “Anyway, I haven’t seen it in years and assumed it was
gone, but my dad just emailed to say that, during his move, it turned up!”
Me: “Cool!” (okay . . . )
Ian: “I wonder where I’ll put it!”
Me: “Maybe it can sit on that giant green ball in the dining
room, that you haven’t touched since you made me bring it back home!”
Ian: “Grrrr. No,
maybe I could take it to my office!”
Me: “The green ball, or both of them?”
Ian: “Yeah! Oh, but maybe there’s a law against that . . .”
Me: “Against having a giant ball at the office? . . . Wait a
second . . . do you mean a TAXIDERMIED turtle???”
Ian: “Yes! A taxidermied turtle!”
Me: “Oh. Yes, the National Marine Fisheries Service might
have rules against keeping taxidermied turtles in your office."
