Braces and Brothers

Litkia got her braces today. She was very brave and didn't do a lot of complaining until a few hours after the visit to the orthodontist. Luckily, we were told that this would be the case and the Advil was handy. She pointed to the place in her mouth that was most uncomfortable and told me that she thought the bracket on that particular tooth was too low. I told her that I felt like the orthodontist knew what he was doing when he put it there. She apparently thought about it for a while and came back to tell me that maybe I was right and possibly the bracket was low for a reason. She explained her revelation like this:

You know when you're pushing somebody in a swing and you push them by the head, they just fall out on the ground? But when you push them lower their whole body moves with the swing. They are probably just trying to get my whole tooth to move instead of making it just fall over.

This was good logic, but I seriously had a hard time getting past the part about her pushing somebody out of a swing by their head. How does she know the physics of toppling someone out of a swing by their head unless she's done it herself? Well, the obvious answer to that question is that someone has done it to her. I'll give you three guesses who might have done such a thing. Better yet, I'll just tell you it was Pateriko. He denies it vehemently but I don't believe him for one second.

It takes quite a bit of badgering to get Litkia to react. If she ever really yells, I know that whatever has been happening has gone way past the point of good natured pestering. I keep thinking it's a good thing she doesn't hold a grudge easily or the piles and piles of wrongs that have been done to her by her brother would have long ago come around to haunt him. But, having said that, I won't be surprised when it does. (Nor will I let it bother me in the least.)

Things that I haven't forgotten

Today I present a list of things that grownups said or directly told me when I was younger, that have somehow stuck in my brain. I'm not saying they were important things, or even helpful things. I'm just saying I remember them.

1. "When your grandfather and I owned a grocery store early in our marriage, I used to steal half dollars from the register and put them in my shoes so I'd have spending money. Your grandfather was stingy with his money." Paternal grandmother

2. "If you swallow watermelon seeds you'll grow watermelons out your ears." Maternal grandfather

3. "One day you'll learn." "One day you'll understand." and other variations on this same theme. Daddy (and he was right).

4. "Girls do NOT call boys". Guess who said that.

5. "I couldn't see the words", was my paternal grandfather's response, when my Daddy asked him why he wasn't singing the hymns in church. It made me very sad because I was the one holding the hymnal too low.

6. My maternal grandmother reacted to everything with the words, "Dear Gussy". My older sister says that all the time now. Makes me smile.

7. "If you haven't seen a little slip by now, it's high time you did." High school choral director, speaking to a male member of the choir who was pointing out that someone's slip was showing to another male member of the choir.

8. "This is the tiniest record player in the word (holds up thumb and index finger together and rubs them together) playing 'my heart bleeds peanut butter for you'." Ronnie McCall

9. "My Aunt Minnie, she died last night. She died a right way and she died a wrong way." This is a very long story and I never DID figure out this stupid game that Jay Hollowell was trying to play with me.

10. "We're healing". Overheard because the adult that said it knew I was within earshot and wanted me to hear it and to take it back to my parents (more than likely)...which I did.

11. "I don't mind giving shots, but I won't let anybody give me one. That scares me to death." This was said by the nurse who just given me a vaccination. Ruth Ruffin.

12. "Feel these!" Aunt Betty after having reconstructive breast surgery due to a mastectomy for breast cancer. I was horrified.

13. "I'll tell you when it's time to worry." Mother told me this all the time. Apparently I was a worry-wart. She only told me that it was time to worry ONCE. She was right about that.

14. "Will you bring me a lock of your hair the next time you get it cut?" I had no idea at the time how creepy that was coming from the Dad of a friend of mine. I was a child. I did it. I found out recently that he still has it. Ick.

15. "THREE LICKS" Said to me by my junior high principal as he stuck out three fingers toward me. He saw me toss a pencil to the person sitting in the desk behind me and used me as an example for the class. I didn't get the licks, but he sufficiently scared me into never throwing ANYTHING again.

I know this was pretty random. But hey, it's me. That's what I do.

That is all.