F.R.O.G Blog

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What’s the best or worst practical joke that you’ve played on someone or that was played on you?


I was 8 or 9 when I "discovered" Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it was being played at the local movie theater. I pitched a week-long begging, pleading, and bribing campaign at Mom trying to convince her I was old enough, brave enough, and most of all, independent enough to go see it. When Mom still refused, I did the only thing left to do. I told my oldest brother.

My brother went and rented the movie and he and I sat in his bedroom with the door closed (mom was busy and never paid much attention to what he was doing anyway since he was an "adult"). He also had a king-size water bed and allowed me to have popcorn, candy, and a soda and we sat and watched the whole thing.

I will admit, it was grosser than I had anticipated. I'd never seen a true horror movie before and I was a bit queezy from the movie, the motion of the water bed and all the junk food. However, Mom yelled dinner was ready just as the movie was getting over with. I walked into the kitchen and there on the table sat three bowls of steaming hot CHILLI. I had to sit there and force myself to nibble at that blasted chili without getting sick and letting on to Mom what I'd just watched.

I still swear mom had somehow known I watched that movie and had fixed that on purpose. She always swore she had no idea. But how many people you know make a pot of chili in the middle of a Texas summer when temps are in the high 90's??

Incidentally, this did not put me off from wanting to watch horror movies. When Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween came out, it was my brother who I begged into watching them with me. Oh the things my poor brother used to do for me! lol

My other older brother loved giving me surprises, the kind that made little girls squeal, shriek, and do other unladylike sounds. My brother loved playing a particular game with me. He'd say, "I got a surprise for you baby girl," and I was expected to close my eyes and hold out my hands. I never knew WHAT he was going to put in my hand. Only that is was going to be something....unexpected. Sometimes it was a lizard, a snake, a worm, a crawfish, beetle bug, baby snapping turtle, a mouse, once it was a raccoon he'd been taming. My brother LOVED wildlife and thought it was hilarious when I'd open my eyes and sometimes I'd like what was in my hand and oooh and ahhhh over it but some things, like the snake or worm...I'd get all girlie and squeal and try to shove it back at him. He'd laugh and say, "they are all God's creatures honey, gotta love them all."

I seriously think this is why I love animals so much now. My brother passed that on to me. He always had an assortment of critters at his house. He had injured raccoons he saved and kept as pets, he rescued a mother skunk and her babies...and after the scent sac was removed, they were indoor pets. He had pet possums, a pet monkey, huge aquariums filled with turtles he rescued off the side of the road, fish, frogs, lizards. His house was like a zoo and I loved spending time over there.