Computation of Time from Down Under
My aunt sent us from Melbourne a clock that has the shape of Australia. My daughter was very happy because she could tell me the time without having to refer to boring digits: “it’s long Darwin short Sydney”
I must admit that it took me some time (and a walk to the map) until I grasped the deeper meaning of this announcement. (Yes, it was 5 p.m.)
identifying a nightly visitor
Yesterday evening I came with my son home from the library and we wanted to move the garbage containers onto the street for the weekly collection. As I opened one of the containers to dump a trash bag into it, a pair of glittering eyes were fixed at me. I thought our cat might have gotten somehow out of the house and into the container. I wanted to call her name, but it jumped out and I saw that it was no cat at all. First I thought it was a squirrel but it did not end so fast: It was something much bigger and longer and grayish and it scuttled on and then off the railing and disappeared under the porch stairs. I told my son that it must have been a badger. “Why a badger?” he wanted to know. “We are in Wisconsin and this is the “Badger-State”. “I’d rather think it was a coon. I have seen something like this already.” “Back in Germany?” I inquired. “Yes, back in Germany on TV in SpongeBob”.
He thought I would prize the scientific benefits of his addiction, and I almost did. But then I remembered that I am his homeschooling teacher so I gave him the assignment to write a report on raccoons and how to keep them out of garbage cans.
FREE Report about stress
Download instantly your copy!
