WHAT DID YOU DO LAST SUMMER?

 Mac, 6 years old, was a bright, intelligent, engaging child with a big smile for everyone.  But now, summer was over.  School had started.  The dreaded first lesson of the year was upon Mac.  "What did you do last summer?"

"What am I  going to write about, Mommy?" Mac asked.

"How about our trip to Ohio and what a good time you had at your cousin's wedding?"

And that's exactly what Mac did.  He  wrote about his family's trip to a cousin's wedding, where he and several other family members had enjoyed 5 days of games, picnics, swimming, hiking, and horseback riding.  And, of course, the wedding.  But the wedding wasn't nearly as much fun as he had playing with his cousins.

You can imagine his mom's surprise when she received a phone call from her son's teacher requesting a parent/teacher conference immediately.   "What could be wrong?" Jinny worried.

"Mrs. Smith, I don't quite know how to bring this up to you but I feel I must because this is just so bizarre...so strange... that to not mention it I would be deficient in my duties as a teacher."

"Mrs, Clark, what is wrong?  What has Mac done?"

"Mac hasn't done anything but I think you should know what .... activities....he was involved in during the summer break."

"Activities?"

"Ummm....yes.  I understand you went to a wedding over the summer?"

"Yes."

"And the younger children spent a great deal of time with their older cousins?"

"Yes."

Biting her lip, Mrs. Clark said, "And....did you know that Mac and his older cousins spent a lot of time 'playing' in the outhouse?"

Jinny's sat back, her eyes widened, and then she began to smile.

"Mrs. Smith, this is not a laughing matter.  I am worried that this 'play' might have been .... wrong."

"Oh, Mrs. Clark,  I appreciate your bringing this to my attention but I can assure you, there is nothing to be worried about."

"How can you be sure?  Mac wrote in his paper that he and his cousins spent a great deal of time playing in the outhouse."  Mrs. Clark replied, holding the homework out for his mother to read.

"Because the 'OUTHOUSE' is not an outhouse like you are thinking.  My aunt and uncle called it that because when they first bought their farm the house was almost ready to fall down.  Animals were living in it, the roof had several leaks,  and they called it their "Outhouse".    As a joke.  However, they remodeled the entire house and it is now a nice 3 bedroom home where several families stayed over the wedding.  The kids waded in the creek, caught crawdads, rode horses, and climbed trees.  They had a great week."

Relief flooded over Mrs. Clark's face.  "I am  glad to hear that.  I was so worried about Mac.  And I didn't know how to approach you with this information."

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When we bought our farm, the "former" farm house was in bad dis-repair.  We spent a lot of time and money whipping the "OUTHOUSE", as we fondly called it, back into a livable condition.  The blood, sweat, and tears of more than a year produced a house we were able to offer to our big family as a "stopping point" between family visits.

When our son announced that he and his girlfriend were getting married, we were pleased as punch to offer to any and all relatives that if they were willing to share the 3-bedroom, 1 bath, large kitchen-living room combination "OUTHOUSE" with other family members, they were welcome to stay with no hotel bills.

Needless to say, many relatives took us up on the offer.

Everyone had a great time.  Between our house and the "OUTHOUSE" we hosted between 20-30 people.  Since both of us came from big families, we were used to sharing living space and everyone had a good time.

The older nieces and nephews cared for the younger ones.   The wedding was definitely a second-string activity.

We still haven't changed the name of the "OUTHOUSE."   It's still there.