Ninjas And The Snake Pit

My Mother was terrified of snakes and all things creepy crawly. At least I think she was until she had three boys. You know those shows where they make you face your fears in order to overcome them. We took it to the extreme. Nolan was the worst offender. I don't believe he was ever intentionally mean about it, he just had a natural fascination with these things. If it was slimy or slithery, Nolan would inevitably spot it before the rest of us and had no fear, but to pick it up. Maybe even stick it in his pocket for laundry day. Mom loved laundry day.

For awhile we were also fascinated by the 80's movies about ninjas. What boy wasn't back then. We wanted to learn everything Ninja. We all had secret dreams of getting lost in Japan and being raised by a Ninja Master. My Dad's shop was commandeered and we set to making wooden swords, nun chucks, and the all important throwing stars. Nolan was the only one that got the all coveted Ninja suit. His friend down the street, Mike was able to buy one. My mom was able to then take it and copy it to sew one for Nolan. I don't think he ever took it off that summer. He and Mike were constantly skulking through the bushes in the dark looking for their next victim. You may be asking yourself why I would put these two stories together. Well I wasn't the first. Nolan and Mike seemed to have no end to their creativity. It is interesting to note that when ever there was work to be done in the yard, Nolan seemed to instantly have the need to go to the bathroom. Never knew anyone that could spend hours in the bathroom like him. I say this because it was shocking to me that Nolan and Mike would take the initiative to dig a large pit in the bush on a hot summer afternoon. But they did. They set out then to collect as many guarder snakes as they could to fill that pit. I have to give them credit for their perseverance. They set out with one of those large green rubber maid garbage cans and patiently filled it with as many snakes as they could find. I am sure they found every guarder snake they could find with in a mile radius of the house. The pit truly was a sight to behold. I am not sure what happened to all the snakes in the end, but knowing Nolan they were probably set on their way.

I am more overly impressed that when he truly set his mind to something Nolan could accomplish it. I am sure had my parents told him to do it it would have just resulted in another long stay in the bathroom.