The Ben Times

When it comes to taking care of the grass, Dad is usually pretty on top of things, unless (of course) little garter snakes might be lurking about. Sunday was a terrific day here in the Northwest for lawn care, not too hot and a little overcast. So, it was with great gusto that the fam headed outside to do some chores.

Donna and Ben dove into picking apples off of our tree in the backyard while Dad jumped in to mow the grass. All was going really smoothly until Dad finished the back and was moving the lawnmower to the front yard. He stopped to chat with the neighbors for a minute, but that was quickly interrupted with a shriek from inside their house as their daughter called out for them: she had just gotten engaged and wanted to show here parents the ring. Congrats to Lindsay!

Well, back to our story. It just so happens that the annual Hillsboro Airshow was going on this weekend. As we all know, when airplanes are a flyin’, Dad is looking up at the sky. Donna had taken the wagon and a cooler around the block to pick apples from the tree as it overhangs the fence in the backyard.

About this time, Dad hears the roar of jets off in the distance but is frustrated that he can’t see much. It is about this time that he had what seemed to be at the time a stroke of genius: with no one around to supervise him, the roof seemed to offer a great vantage point to view the airshow. So, he drags the ladder out of the garage, grabs his aviation radio, and heads up to the peak of the house for a better view.

Unbeknown to him, Donna had returned from apple picking to find a lawnmower sitting idly by in the driveway and a ladder leading up to the roof. She grabbed a camera and proceeded to document his loafing in order to share it with the rest of the world.

For the record, Dad would like to point out, though, that the yard did get finished that day and looks marvelous. He is still in the doghouse, though.

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