Ants before the Picnic and Other Experiments.

Ants before the Picnic and Other Experiments

Experiments. We experiment with our hair, our clothes, our ideas never knowing what the results might be but we are always continuing to change in some way if we are lucky. Having said that, I started a small experiment in the confines of my small house which of course, did not completely turn out the way I expected.  It was a study involving my husband, completely unknown to him which in the way of husbands was not a new thing as he often does not know what his wife is planning from moment to moment but as a model husband he simply goes along cheerfully.

For example, I had voiced to him my need for a piece of a good quiche by letting him know that he was going to be driving for hour to the valley for the lovely quiche on Saturday morning. He nodded his head in silent agreement. Two days later, I let him know that a good friend was coming along, he brighten up replying to me, “You did not tell me that A was coming.”  That is when I knew that he was hooked plus the idea of eating at one of our favorite places was a closing point.  At any rate, I knew that he would take me without little or no argument because my happiness is his happiness.  After all, he had over thirty-four years of close study and observances to determine how to please his woman. Fortunately for him, he is a wise man and paid attention. 

The quiche was delicious.  Afterwards, we traipsed forthwith to a bookstore practically next door, my little friend A was delighted and soon found her nose deep in several books. She opened a book and inhaled deeply, stating you can’t get that from a tablet. I agreed wandering off until I found myself things to drool over as well for the future, finally settling on a couple of treasures to take home for latter musing.

Back to my household experimenting, after returning home, it was back to the routine of household duties, a simple salad that was filled with fresh tomatoes, sweet red pepper, sunflower seeds and cucumbers with the sweet smell of summer clinging to them. All was placed on a bed of green romaine lettuce.  I had been good with my eating just the quiche and a bite of my husband’s chocolate mousse at lunch.  When driving home, I had a nice hot green tea latte to continue the festive feeling of going out of town and to top off the day’s events. I sipped on the tea while I gazed at the soon to be glorious display of fall colors.  The trees were just turning.  It had be a good day.

We watch our usual shows on the computer that night until my eyes and mind started closing down for repairs.  Sunday came with the same things that we do, taking our early morning walk which was interrupted by a friend struggling with her two dogs.  My thought was that it was wrong to let an old woman struggle that way and I went to help her.  So the friend and I walked and talked until we had walked back to my house. My husband had left for home earlier from our walk.

 Okay, time for a speed up.  We got ready for church, picked up grandma, went to church, went out to eat, went grocery shopping and went home.  My husband watch his Roosevelt’s OPB show, went to the Recreation Center, came home and worked in the yard and went to take his bath.  Bored, yet? My tongue would be tired tripping over all of these if I was actually verbalizing it all.

Well, here we are back to the great, awesome experiment.  Husband is in the bathtub taking his well earned bath after working out at the gym and working in the yard.  I strolled in to visit and the experiment was gone.

 My response after entering the room was, “Where is it?”

 His answer from behind his book as he sprawled in the tub, “Where is what?”

  I remained speechless and pointed to the counter, the empty counter.

“What?” he said.

“My experiment,” I replied. Now he was looking at me with a rather bemused look on his face, the thoughts were drifting across his face, while he was thinking, I have done something wrong, I might be in trouble, I better find the answers but I need more clues. 

I explained to the man that I love that I was conducting an experiment. That the carefully lined up tubes from the toilet paper by the splash board in the bathroom was an experiment in the making so I asked him where they were and his face lit up as he realized that he knew the answer to this question. 

“In the recycling.” he replied. 

“You must get them out,” I cried. “I have not taken my picture, a picture for my blog.”

“I crushed them,” he replied warily.

“Then I must find more,” I said over my shoulders as I darted out of the room to the other bathroom. I was in luck. Clutching the two brown rolls that I had found on the floor, I placed them on the counter and ran for my camera. 

Well, the experiment worked. I had placed them carefully on the counter to see how long it would be for my husband to take them away for recycling. It was a much better experiment than the one that had involved me flat on my stomach on a hot late summer day waiting to see what seeds the ants would take into their hill.  Seeds from various grasses that I had hand-picked and sprinkle about the ants’ hill, I had been bored and discovered the ants before the picnic that was being held close by.

The results, scratchy legs, dirt under my toenails, and the joy of a light breeze tickling the fine hairs on my arms, watching the ants scurry here and there picking up some of my seeds and ignoring others.  I think that it was a matter of ripeness. Everything seems to have its own time, its ripeness.  My experiment had come to its end while my thoughts had about how long before the rolls were harvested and were put away was answered. About eight rolls.