<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>*g* do tell Doreen! Just what did you do to your
father on April 1. I could use some ideas. </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Rena</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>If I had to choose a character with whom I relate the most, it
would have to be Peeves. I like to stir up mischief and play tricks. I used to
"nail" my father every April 1st. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>My son and I died a pot of spagetti pink and another pot of
spagetti green. We then draped the pretty "strings" over every available branch
of trees & bushes, the bird bath & feeders, and fence railings. It was
quite colorful. The birds & squirrels loved it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT>;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Another year, we forked the whole yard! This meant buying up
many packages of plastic white forks, such as those used in fast food or
picnicing. You just stick them in the yard, spacing them out dependant on how
many forks you have. When you are finished, a few forks appear to be a lot more
than they really are. (This made the local newspaper... with an anonymous tip
that is)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Another year, we draped the trees, railings, and car with
yards & yards of yellow plastic tape, such as you see in police crime
scenes.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Yet another year, we filled his entire car with styrofoam
chips. Don't forget that April is usually rather windy in Iowa. My father
thought he really had us outsmarted, though. He opened the driver's side door,
and sucked up the chips with his huge wet-vac. His mistake, though, was to go
around to the passenger side and open the door .... ooops! He did not close the
driver's side door!Chips flew like snow, all over the yard. (Of course, my son
& I cleaned them up ... as well as the forks, and the spagetti... my father
was not well enough to do this)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>One of the best tricks was the year that I came up empty
headed as far as April Fool's Day ideas went. Much as I hated to disappoint my
dad, I just did nothing. Late in the afternoon, I got a phone call from my mom.
She said, "Please tell your father that you did not play a prank this year. He
has gone all around the yard, out to the car, down into the basement, looking
for what you did. Every time the phone rings, he jumps." hee hee ...
GOTCHA!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Thanks for asking me to share these stories. It is so nice to
be able to talk about my dad now and think about the things we did together and
finally be able to smile and laugh about them. It helps to keep my memories of
him alive in my heart.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Doreen</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>