A Chain Reaction

It was beautiful today, just over 50 degrees and sunny.  Kent sat outside in the afternoon with the children as I prepared dinner.  I watched Brandt hauling stuff out of the garage and piling it up.  He was intent on doing something, but it looked like a mess to me.  I went outside to ask what he was doing and I was informed he was making a "chain reaction."

Brandt showed me all the components of the chain reaction: his lawn mower, several long wooden stakes and some metal tomato cage stakes, the bird bath, clippers and trimmers, propane canisters, and other stuff.  Then he showed Kent what would happen when you pressed each part.  He traced it back to catapulting the cast metal turtle that normally sits on our porch (and which you can't really see in the picture--it is near Brandt's feet) onto the roof.  Then he proceeded to do a demonstration; he pulled levers, he stepped on other parts, then he picked up the turtle and threw it in the direction of the roof, though it landed with a loud clang on the sidewalk.  Shazam! A chain reaction.

Kent applauded, said, "Way to go, Brandt," and laughed, a lot.  What a clever boy we have.