Floods

I started out thinking that I would write this yesterday, but the news about Marty was first in my brain and pressing on my heart. This story is directed at my sisters- as they will be the first to understand why this is so funny. I am including a piece of writing that I did back in 1998 when I participated in The New Mexico State Writing Project at NMSU. It was published in the anthology from the course which means about 15 people (including me) actually have a copy. Which looking at it all these years later I can find about ten editing errors in it now- ah well. I hope that it will help any one else who reads this grasp how funny genetics can be.

A few days ago I went up to check on my daughter Chloe who was playing in her room. She was sitting on the floor and she had about fifteen stuffed animals sitting on the small throw rug on her floor (the rest of her floor in hard wood). I asked why all the animals were on the rug. Her response, "There was a big flood and they are using this as a boat to travel down the river."

The following is the piece that I wrote in 1998 at NMSU:

Barbie and the Flash Flood

Barbie was the single most important toy in my sisters and my young lives. It drove my mother nuts sometimes, but she also fed our addiction. She once built us a Barbie house. House, that really isn't an accurate description, mansion is really a better word for it. She had my dad bring home an immense refrigerator box, turned it on it's side, cut off one panel and inserted various cardboard slats to break it into two floors and about eight rooms. Mom took wallpaper scraps and carpet remnants and create a Barbie house suitable to be seen in any Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. My sisters and I promptly arranged our inflatable Barbie furniture in various rooms and created hours of fun and excitement.

We would always base our play around a theme. One of our favorite story lines was the flash flood. The flash flood involved us imagining a huge wall of water suddenly striking the house. Barbie and company were forced to face torrential rains and horrid whitewater by rafting down the river on their inflatable furniture. We would tie all the furniture together and make one huge raft. It was awesome, Barbie was a real survivalist.

We would spend hours in our basement playroom dealing with our flood ravaged community. This would drive my mother to scream down, "That's it! You girls need to go outside and play, it is to beautiful to be inside."

So we would pack up Barbie and company and dig out our big metal Tonka trucks. Barbie would drive the truck into the backyard to go on a camping trip. Where upon she would set up camp and sleep in the back of the Tonka truck under the stars.

Now I know that in today's society Barbie is not viewed as a positive role model for young girls. In some circles there are people who would probably lecture me on all of the negative effects Barbie has on girls' self esteem and body image. But I really must disagree. Any woman who rafts a river on a piece of inflatable furniture, or handles a Tonka truck with such precision, is a true feminist in my book.

I can not tell you my urge to giggle when Chloe told me that her animal were escaping a flood. Oh the things we pass down to our children!