The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Go Oft Awry

No photos on today's blog entry. No fun activities explained. Instead, I have not been able to get out of my head today the words of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Today I have ultimate sympathy for the poor little mouse from his poem "To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough":

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!

And now the famous line (much later in the poem):

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men
Gang aft agley,
An'lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

I had much promised joy planned for today. After not having Iain for three whole weeks, I had planned a very fun day. We had gardening to do in the morning--strawberry plants to put in the strawberry pot and herbs to put in the herb garden. And then we had an art project planned for Jo and Iain to do together. And then we would look at our new caterpillars that had just been delivered. Yes, it all seemed very exciting. That was, until we were standing in the kitchen, talking about our plans, when Josephine pointed at the floor and said, "Look, Mamma, water!"

Yes, water, which had turned the corner from the laundry room, was quickly making its way across our kitchen. A hose from the back of the washing machine had become disconnected during a wash load and was now quickly emptying out the contents of the washing machine all over the floor. By the time Josephine had noticed the water, the laundry room was completely flooded and the kitchen was well on its way to the same state. I definitely felt the panic of Robert Burns' little mouse.

My laundry room does not contain merely a washer and dryer. It is my storage room for all our art supplies and projects. There are many many many things in there, few of which benefit from an introduction to water. Immediately I started carrying things out to dry ground. Then I called my husband--not calmly, might I add, and he came immediately home from work to help out.

Just minutes after the discovery of the flood, Iain was sitting at the kitchen table saying, "I'm hungry. I want my snack now." Did I mention it was 9:00 a.m. and he'd only arrived twenty minutes before (I assume after having breakfast at home)? And Josephine did her part by sitting at the very same table saying, "I want to start the project now, Mamma."

Despite all this, everyone in the end was absolutely wonderful, not the least of which, my husband, who skipped a meeting to slosh about with me, set things outside to dry, and fix the washer. Meanwhile, Josephine majorly stepped up to the mark and helped out by carrying things from me in the kitchen to Sven outside. And she also took the initiative to go get Iain's snack, set him up with food, and then she sat at the table next to him with her colored pencils and paper and wrote letters to a friend. Iain was quiet and content during most of the operation, thanks to his snack, and a couple extra rice cakes Josephine added in.

So next week we will try again, barring any unforeseen disasters.