THREE PIGS AND ESTATE PLANNING

THREE PIGS AND ESTATE PLANNING
Category: News and Politics

Dear Bored But Alive Friends,

Some of you may not be bored, but then, some of you may be thus occupied by simple pleasures not so exciting. If you are reading this, I believe you are NOT working at this particular moment in time.

Five year old children have a handle on life. I listen to my granddaughter, Irissa, if I wish to tune in to the invisible world where everything is hatched. Here's your Washington Post news report taken while I drive Irissa to afternoon Kindergarten today:

Irissa: Grandma, do you know the story about the Wolf and the Pigs?

Me: Yes, but why don't you tell it to me.

Irissa: The Wolf tried to blow down the house built out of sticks. After that, he blew down the house built out of what was that stuff?

Me: Straw?

Irissa: Yes, he blew down that house, too. But he couldn't blow down the Pig's house that was made of bricks and that's the end of the story.

Me: Yes, but, honey, why did he blow the house in? What did he want? (I was fishing for her spin on this.)

Irissa: He wanted a little sugar.

Me: (Taken back by the innuendos that could come of this) No, I think he wanted to eat the pigs.

Irissa: Grandma!!! He didn't EAT the Pigs. He wanted, you know, some chocolate candy bars.

Me: I don't think that is in the story.

Irissa: Grandma, this story is written down. I know this story. It's in a book.

Me: (So let is be written, so let it be done...Pharaoh's decree abides here.)
Yes, okay, if it is written in a book, that's the story. Do you think it is good to build houses made of sticks and straw?

Irissa: No, because they will get blowed down.

At this point we are driving into the circular driveway to unload passengers. Irissa scopes out the children already there. She had hoped we would be early enough for her to place her backpack first against the wall next to the door to the classroom. She feels a need to be topdog. But we are not THAT early. It doesn't matter once she spies one of her classmates.

On the way to school, there are for sale signs in front of houses. I also saw an old panel van with the roof packed neatly with someone's personal possessions. It did look like they had their straw house blown in at some point and shifted to living out of the van like gypsies. Did the Pigs driven from the fragile houses feel that way? My understanding is they ended up with the OLDER BROTHER PIG who had the clout and skills to build a home of bricks and substance.

Questions remain in the adult brain if the Big Brother Pig resented putting up his foolish siblings or had the benevolence to support their return to society. Irissa prefers to shut the book and move on to the playground politics.

Love and Shelter to ALL,

Bev in the West