"Do you want to talk about something?"

"Let's talk about how things are made..." I wonder if my friend, Lee's, sons ever said such a thing to her when they were little. While sitting poolside the other day, some of us were talking about the funny things kids come out with. Two of those with me are teachers so they hear it all---often far more than they wish.

Lee has two sons, one who is quiet and keeps to himself, and one more talkative, but mainly only about the things which interest him. When my turn came, I shared the stories of Justin and his talking skills, including testing positive for 'verbal overflow' when being evaluated at St. Johns. My friends found it hard to believe that he was talker...yeah, right!

When we lived in Waterford Landing, Justin had a little friend who lived across the street, named Kyle. He was younger than Justin but they got along nicely. One day he told his grandma and me that he was going over to play with Kyle. After a while he came back, which surprised us. I asked where Kyle was and he answered, "Oh, he wasn't home." "Where were you so long then?" "His mom was in the garage and I talked with her. She can carry on a good conversation!" Mom and I lost it...Oh that guy!

One of my favorite stories of Justin and his talking include my sister, Lynn, who was riding in the backseat with him. I cannot remember where we were going but it seems like a longer car ride. They were quiet back there, Justin about 7 years old, I think, when he asked Lynn, "Do you want to talk about something?" "Sure---what should we talk about?" Justin suggested, "How about how things are made?", excitedly. Wow, now there's a topic for you!! His dad, Lynn, and I were chuckling a little bit, and Justin, still pondering said, "How about wood?" The idea of this still makes me laugh, but I cannot remember what Lynn and he came up with, but I am sure it was fascinating! And now there is TV show dedicated to "How Things Are Made". He was just ahead of his time...

Moving into the present, the other day as we drove home from Victory/lunch, I told Justin that I probably had to get a different car. It was time. Immediately he pulled out the phone to start searching for the perfect car for me. He knows pretty much what I like in a car (champagne taste/beer budget) but he also aims higher. I told him I wanted something around $20 thousand or less. With a deep sigh, he said, "Okay, grandmaw...." meaning I was being quite unrealistic, living in the past as far as car pricing goes. He asked me if I really wanted crank windows and no power steering. I know he was being dramatic and sarcastic. But he also made me laugh in the process of his mocking me. My sister got a nice car not long ago with lots of bells and whistles but at a decent price. 

                                     

A funny story about that now---when I was in Manty this summer, Kerry took Jill and I to Wal*Mart  in her new car. Still had that new car smell and all that. Nice! I rode in the front seat, but oddly enough, the head rest tipped way forward, causing my chin to be buried in my chest. That is a good way to shut me up! No matter what we tried, the three of us could not figure out how to tip that headrest up, the way the driver's side was set. It sure provided us a good deal of laughter in the process. I wonder if she ever got it figured out or if her passengers simply sit in the backseat in a full and upright position...