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Incomprehensible Women

Ben is studying Biology this year. He is in 9th grade and Biology is the first step in a long list of science courses that he has to complete on his quest to become a Marine Biologist.

We all really enjoy the microscope. Every time we have to put some icky thing on a slide for viewing, everyone in the family comes running to take a peek. It is really interesting to see all the shapes, squiggles, and tiny creatures magnified.


This week's project took some incubating. First, we had to walk down to the pond to get some scummy water. We were supposed to use a baby food jar, but as I don't have babies, baby food jars are no longer in plentiful supply around here. So I used a canning jar, which is a good deal larger. I figured we'd have plenty of extra in case we needed it. Next, we had to "feed" the pond water some egg yolk. Then we had to cover the jar in newspaper and let it sit in a dark place to..... um..........breed. We have left it sitting there on the counter like a potential stink bomb all week.

Our science book warned us that when we opened this jar it would stink. Pond water + egg yolk + darkness = smell. I think I could have figured that out on my own, but I guess some people need to be given a head's up. So I told Ben to take the jar out by the dumpsters, prepare a slide and then dump the contents on the ground out there. I knew if I didn't tell him precisely where to go, he would have just barely stepped outside our back door and ditched the stinky water right outside the door where we would all be complaining about the stench for days.

When Ben came back he said (with great delight), "They were right! That really stunk!"

"Where did you put the jar?" I asked.


"In the kitchen sink."


"Did you put any dishwashing liquid in it?" I asked.


"No." Of course not.


So we head into the kitchen to soak the jar. Ben picked it up and handed it to me. "Smell it," he instructed.


"Ew! NO!!" I said, snatching it out of his hands and dousing it with Dawn and hot water before the scent could waft up to my nose.


He gave me one of those baffled looks and said, "That is just one of those weird things I will never understand about women!"

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