Tell Me Why Wednesday

I just need some answers, people. 

1.  Why, why, why is there a law outlawing the shooting of Canada geese?  Oh my word they are the biggest nuisance.  Actually, I don't care about the geese, except that one time that Giant got chased by one, and really that was just hilarious.  I mostly am perturbed by the goose poop.  It's everywhere.  And the geese really like to hang out all around the building where my kids go to preschool.  We have to dodge more poop in the preschool parking lot than we do on our farm! 

2.  Why is the one goose/many geese concept so hard for children to understand?  I have extremely bright children, and yet it takes hours and hours of discussion before they understand the singular/plural forms of that dreaded bird.  We do the whole if there is only one, it's a goose.  If there are a bunch, they are geese.  When Giant was little, I vividly remember the day we were going through it all for the 100th time.  I pointed to a goose out in the grass, and said, "In the grass there is one goose."  Then I pointed to all of the goose's friends roaming the parking lot and said, "On the pavement there are lots of geese."  For two weeks after I had to listen to and deprogram his, "All of those in the grass are gooses, and that one on the pavement is a geese."  Now that Turken is in preschool, we are back to being in the presence of geese again.  Which means a whole nuther round of the goose/geese instruction.  We may just have to change preschools.

3.  Why, why, why did not one Boy Scout or leader know that they were working in what must have been a carpet of poison ivy???  Honestly, isn't the first rule of scouting, after "Be prepared" of course, "leaves of three, let them be?"  Phoenix went on a service weekend with about 20 scouts.  They were clearing brush and working outside all day on Saturday.  He wore long pants and a long-sleeve shirt, but still came home with a rash covering 80% of his body.  Swollen eyes, between his fingers, all down his neck, a thick band around each ankle.  He's a hot mess.  He hardly got any sleep Monday night.  I had to make a run to an immediate care on Tuesday morning before work in order to get him some medication.  The doctor took one look at him and wrote the prescription.  I asked Phoenix if anyone even looked for the poison ivy.  Yes, they did.  And one of the leaders said there wasn't any. 
(After just one dose, he felt much better.  Still looks ugly as all get out, but is feeling much better.)

4.  Why do I have some sort of infection in the earring hole in my right ear?  I wear earrings exactly one time each year for Hubby's office Christmas party.  Why, in September, when I haven't had an earring in for 9 whole months, is my earring hole crusty and bleeding while my ear lobe looks a bit pink and swollen?  Riddle me that, friends.

5.  Why, why, why do children do the exact same exasperating behavior over and over and over and over again?  For years.  Despite the harsh consequences, each of my children has one thing that drive me absolutely bonkers.  One child insists on throwing clean clothes in the dirty clothes hamper.  Consequences include having to do one's own laundry and one's hamper being removed from the bedroom so one can't just put clothes in there from laziness.  One child continues to slack off on animal chores.  Animals have not been fed because this child "forgot".  Consequences include missing meals to see what it feels like for the animals.  I have gone round and round with each child about his/her one thing, all to no avail.  We've been through positive tactics, negative consequences, talking it out, and even a bit of frustrated yelling.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zip. 

6.  Why will my microwave work for everything except popping corn?  For a while there, the microwave was doing this horrid electrical popping and sizzling thing every fifth or sixth time we used it.  Because we are who we are, we ignored the problem, and after a month or so, it has basically gone away.  Except when I get a hankerin' for popcorn.  Then it's all, "Hold up.  I'll cook your carrots for Cuckoo.  I'll reheat your chicken and noodles for lunch.  I draw the line at popcorn.  That is a want, not a need, and I'm just not going to do it."  When did appliances earn the right to be jerks?

That's all I have for now.   If you can answer any of these questions, please, please, please let me know. 

Got any "why's?" of your own?

Have a lovely day!