"Hans Brinker"

Today I felt a little like Hans Brinker, the young Dutch boy who stuck his chubby little finger in a dyke to keep the dam from bursting through and flooding the town. The poor little fellow sat there all night, waiting, calling, waiting, and calling some more. No one heard him. Not until the next morning when a priest passed by did he get noticed. I can only imagine how afraid he was, but his determination to do what was right won over the fear.

Anyway. I didn't have to plug a dyke and I wasn't really fearful. I did, however, have to hold the palm of my hand against the return on our swimming pool. I was vacuuming - actually Herbie was vacuuming, I supervised - the pool before the girls got home this afternoon. I was informed this morning that they wanted to swim, so . . . have all supplies on deck - literally.

I turned the pump off so I could remove Herbie's hoses and put them away. For some unknown reason when I turned the pump back on, the return shot the hose off like a bullet, spewing water everywhere. Now to fix this the return had to be plugged and the filter closed. The pump is under the deck, so. .. . I was right there with it. I did manage to get the filter closed but I couldn't plug the return to stop the flow because that meant I would have to be ON the deck.

So there I stand, palm on the return, yelling for Ben.
Ben!
Ben Rease!
Benjamin!
Rease!
Beennnn!
Benjamin Rease!
BEEEENNNNNN!
REAAAAASE!!!!

I'm hot - I mean I'm HOT! I'm stooped over, my back is starting to ache. How many hours have I been here ? ? ? Pray tell! (it was only minutes I'm sure, but it sure did feel like hours)

Where is that boy? ? ?

If he's on that computer. . . . .

BEEEENNNNNNN! ! !

Then I hear "What do you want?! ! ! I was in the bathroom! Do you know how hard it is to go to the bathroom when someone is constantly yelling for you?"

(Well excuuuuse me)

After I explained my dilemma, he went in, got what we needed to repair the thing and all was right with the world - for that moment, anyway.

I think he thinks I did something wrong. Can you just imagine? Jeepers.

I often wonder, though, at times like that, if the neighbors hear all the commotion and if so,what do they think, exactly?