This morning I discovered, as I was excersizing my well-developed snoozing powers while Ruth and Isaiah got up and dressed, we had a list of items to be accomplished before lunch.

I knew we had a few things to do, but I assumed it was no big deal because we could take all day to do them. I was partaking of the rare form of semi-conscious in-bed luxuriation only available to me on Saturday mornings when I heard the somewhat perturbed voice of my wife exhorting our son to less recalcitrant behavior in the face of our pressing schedule. Curious to the source of this haste I rose to a state of mental organization that allowed me, when Ruth came back into our room from Isaiah's to get him some socks or something, to vaguely mumble sounds rather like "What's the rush this morning?"

She then explained her perfectly reasonable thoughts on the matter and I conceded the rectitude of her conclusion. So I altered my plans, by reducing the projected amount of time before rising from 30-40 minutes to 15-20 minutes.

After dressing, I came downstairs to find Ruth working on the various items of paperwork to be delivered/deposited/transacted while Isaiah, as has recently become more typical than we like, was running around noisily keeping busy doing his thing at a level of annoyingness just one click above acceptable. Things grew even more hectic as, while I searched for my belt, Kroger made it known that she not only need to go outside to answer the call of nature, but also wanted her breakfast.

"Where's my belt and where's Kroger's leash?

"Daddo, I need juice."

"Oh, Roger, we need to get stamps today, too"

"Here's Kroger's leash... Isaiah,did you move my belt? Was he playing with my belt?"

"I don't know, did you look upstairs?"

"Yes, Daddo, but I need some juice"

"Well, where is it? Didn't I tell you last time to leave it alone- and you won't get any juice until you ask properly."

"OK. May I have some juice please,Daddo?"

"I don't think he moved it..."

"Well, where is it, then? Isaiah, where's- oh here it is. Sorry, Son. I'll get you some juice as soon as I put Kroger out, OK?"

So I put Kroger on her lead in the backyard and came back in to get Isaiah's juice while Kroger took care of her business. Ruth had the refrigerator open and was already getting Isaiah's juice for me. I passed by the refrigerator and when I put my hand on the open door I felt a wet spot on the top edge of it, but I didn't think anything of this until Ruth asked a moment later "Where did all this water come from?"

I reversed my course to inspect the situation just as Ruth was noticing that not only was there water puddled in the floor of the freezer, but the contents had lost a good degree of their frozen solidity! Being technically minded, I first checked the breakers-they all seemed OK, but I cycled the one for the kitchen anyway. Then I examined the plug for the refrigerator which was still plugged in. Then, in true troubleshooting mode, I figured that if the light came on, power was flowing to the unit and we'd be in the market for a new refrigerator. It was with some trepidation that I opened the door, and I was troubled when the light came on.

As I stood staring at the lighted bulb which I thought spelled disaster for my bank account, I noticed the source of all our dismay. Somehow, (I say somehow, but the how and the who occured to me near instantaneously) the refrigerator's control knob had been set to the "off" position.

Upon questioning, the youngest member of our household admitted his guilt, and after a rather stern remonstrance, promised to leave all knobs and buttons in the kitchen alone in the future. I was so glad the refrigerator was OK I didn't even spank him.

I still think he deserved one, though