Rub-A-Dub-Dub--OR--When Is A Swimming Pool Too Small?

"Last day for outdoor water sports, kids."  **Translation**  "Kids, you better get the heck out of the house and play now that the temperature has become reasonable for outdoor recreation!"

Mom and Grandma knew that it was time.  It is no longer prohibitively and excessively hot for children frolicking about outdoors.  Besides, children confined to the inner sanctum of their living quarters tend to get short with one another.  That's what happens when one (two and/or three) don't have plenty of time to release their energy in the out of doors.  As much as they normally enjoy and long for such outdoors-ness, we've notice a lack of enthusiasm of late.  They've apparently misplaced their memory of the joys of such activities and needed an enticement to remind them of the joys therein (or is that, there-out/their-out??).  At any rate, the inducement to go out and "Have fun, or else!" worked.  See evidence below.

There they are all happy and tucked into the smallest (perhaps) swimming pool on record for three normal sized children.  I'm really not sure how they managed to arrange themselves so that they fit, but fit they managed to do.

There was whining and weeping and wailing from each individual for one reason or another, and the final blow was that there was going to be one man out!  Noodle was in with Little Britches and Blue Eyes was devastated that no one would give up their favored spot to allow him in.  There was much howling as to the genuine fact that there simply was NOT enough room for ONE MORE PERSON!

All that was, however, prior to the authoritative command of "Stop whining and fighting and figure out a way to work together!"  When no one budged, and new whining set in, that same authoritative voice strongly suggested that they all stand and try a new arrangement.

Since they've all inherited a large degree of engineering skills, an arrangement was made conducive to all three miraculously fitting in the very tight, but still nearly full of water arrangement you see above.  Since it worked so splendidly, they received another command, from said authority, to stay put while the camera was located and put to use.

Make what you will from these expressions.  Engineering ingenus?  Or children can amaze adults when pressed to do so.  Or not.

It was inferred that the reason everyone wanted IN the water was because goose flesh and chattering teeth claimed their own whenever these three were not immersed in the water.  Eventually, after much too much endurance in such cramped quarters made traveling back in-doors essential, the moaning, and groaning began anew.  "I'm too cold to take a bath!"  "I don't want to get ready for bed yet!"  "I'm too cold to walk."    (It was 80 degrees outside.  And, since they've been used to near 100 degrees, I guess it WAS kind of freezing!  In the full sunlight, etc.

When the hot bathwater was drawn, scant minutes later, everyone (though not bathing in the hotter tub at one time) finally expressed gratitude for the relaxing relief and settled down.  Then we ate supper and all was well in the world once more.  For a few minutes!