Redrum, Redrum, Redrum........

If you are looking at the title and asking yourself, What the?...." I can tell you it comes from the novel The Shining. Long story short, a nice family moves in to act as caretakers at a resort in the mountains that's closed for the winter. Cabin fever sets in, dad goes crazy, kid scares the hell out of everyone, chanting "Redrum....." which is murder spelled backwards, blah blah, blah. If you can't find the book, find the movie. Jack Nicholson does a great job of scaring you to death. Still, even though it's scary and suspenseful, it's still just a good yarn. Or is it?

We (actually, mostly Tami & Kyle) have been shut in for the last week. The snow has made things nearly impassable and both Tami & Kyle have been sick to boot. So sick, in fact, that Kyle missed all of last week at school.

Yesterday, I looked on in amazement as Tami threw her coat on, swearing there was a break in the weather. She was right; it was only a deluge as opposed to a monsoon. But, off she went, down the hill to her favorite craft store. She told tales of flooding, rockslides, fog- real old testament weather, in order to get to a stamping yard sale.

Kyle walked around in the house in a trance. Any acknowledgement of his existence was greeted with bloodshot eyes and a teenage snarl (redrum, redrum, redrum...). And today, it came to a head.

Kyle had math homework to do and demanded that Tami help him, dropping any and all projects she was involved in. When Tami responded (and I can't really print what she said), all I could hear was the loud, forceful stomping up the stairs and a slam of a bedroom door.

Now, I could've helped him at his math. But, keep in mind, I'm still engaged in a philosophical debate on the train from Boston that left an hour earlier at 60mph and the train from New York at 40mph and where they would meet (at the scene of the accident. DUH...) In other words, I'm no damn good. But, I digress.

Suddenly, I hear the steps coming down the stairs. I close the door to the computer room and block it with anything I can find. I hear heavy voices and a loud thump. Omigod, someones been killed! I grab the wiener dog and hold her up like a crucifix as I go into the dining room to see what macabre scene has been created (who could attack a wiener dog, seriously?).

And, there they are, working together in trying to understand the homework. The 'thud' was the huge algebra book hitting the table. They look up at me like I'm nuts and I realize that I'm the one that's gone around the bend. Maybe that Hawaiian vacation Tami wants to do isn't such a bad idea.

The photo is from the creek in the backyard.