Heat, Rain, and Bugs

Kester and Cory being goofy

Family and Friends,

Day 178 of our Haiti Adventure!

And unbelievable adventure occurred yesterday, and we are still sorting out all of the details.  We'll get that one posted soon.  In the meantime, please enjoy the following allegory about Heat, Rain, and Bugs...

Heat, Rain, and Bugs

There are three bullies in our neighborhood who often attempt to intimidate us. They spend their time trying to annoy us, harass us, and in general make our lives unenjoyable. The ultimate desire of this unholy trinity is to fill us with feelings of despondancy and fear. But we will not succumb to the trio of terror! We will not accommodate our destiny to these devils of discomfort. The bullies in our neighborhood will never prevail!

The other day we were sitting at breakfast early in the morning, and suddenly Heat came walking around the corner. He had a smirk on his face that said, “Ah hah…new people in the neighborhood this summer…Americans…easy victims.” Heat could be described as sort of your classic bully, always giving wedgies and such. His favorite songs are “Gonna Make You Sweat” by C and C Music Factory, and “Mercury Rising” by Sting. He billowed right in to our house and refused to leave until late at night. It was very uncool. As he departed he promised to be back early the next day.

The next morning Heat’s slimy friend Rain washed up as well. Previously, we had been hearing Rain pittering and pattering about at night for the past month or so, but only after Heat began to show up on a regular basis did Rain begin to spatter us with his puddly presence during the day. Rain is more of the cruel-type bully, always pushing you down in the mud, spitting at you, and trying to ruin your clothes, papers, and whatever else you might be carrying. His sense of humor is anything but dry. He has many beloved songs, but his absolute favorite story in the Bible is the one about Noah and the flood. His least favorite song is “Blame it on the Rain” by Milli Vanilli.

After a couple of days of getting intimately acquianted with Heat and Rain, the most bothersome bully of all showed up…Bugs. Bugs is more of the annoying-type bully, always tickling your ears and nose and other parts of your body. He has an incredible repertoire of irritating and disgusting habits, and he truly believes the maddening noises he makes at all hours of the night will attract females. Bugs’ favorite car is the Volkswagen Beetle, his favorite superhero is Spiderman, and his favorite songs are “Ants Marching” by The Dave Matthews Band and the classic, “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Dealing with Bugs really bites.

We’ve been doing our best to fight back against the three bullies in our neighborhood. Each one of them alone is not so bad, but the problem is when they start to team up to break your will. For example, when Heat and Rain work together, you can be sitting there doing nothing, and yet their presence alone can cause sweat to bead up on your forehead. And don’t even get me started on Rain and Bugs together. It’s almost like Bugs takes his cues from Rain. Whenever Rain starts pelting you, it’s never long before Bugs gets all excited and begins buzzing around as well.

Despite the oppression at our doorstep and occassionally in our home, we are determined to overcome the tyrannical triumvirate of tropical torture and live life to the best of our abilities. We’ve made friends with a team of individuals who help us out from time to time…Shower, Spray, Swatter, Fan, and Ice. When things get really bad we jump in the car, roll up the windows, and visit Mr. A.C. The bullies hate Mr. A.C. After that we usually feel refreshed and ready to face up to whatever comes. Let’s just hope the worst of bullies, Hurrricane, never shows up!

Happy Adventuring Everyone!
-The Grimms