I’ve read that when little kids ask a lot of questions it is a sign of intelligence.  So I should exercise patience in the following sorts of conversations.  But I have to tell you, at the end of a very long week, driving at dusk watching for animals to jump across the highway, fighting sleep…the following conversation nearly killed me.

(Background info: we’ve been talking about Nevada a lot because his Grandpa is working a short job in Elko.)

AJ: Mom, can we go to Nevada?

Me: Someday, dear.

AJ:  Can we go now?  Can we go swimming in Nevada?

Me:  No not now.  Besides, Nevada is mostly desert and there isn’t a place to swim.

AJ:  What’s a desert?

Me:  Ummm….it’s just a lot of land that’s really dry, and there’s cactuses and snakes everywhere.

AJ:  What’s a cactus?

Me:  Grrrr…it’s a plant that grows in the desert, and it’s covered with thorns.

AJ:  What’s a thorn?

Me:  Ummm…it’s like a sharp, pokey thing that grows out of certain plants.

AJ:  What’s ‘certain?’

Me:  Errr….’certain’ means ’some’…like, ’some’ plants have thorns.

AJ:  And thorns are sharp?

Me:  Yes.

AJ:  Why are things sharp?

Me:  So mommies can put themselves out of their misery.

AJ:  What’s misery?

Me:  Oh…nothing.  Mommy is just kidding. 

AJ:  Oh…  Why are you just kidding?

Me:  Shush and look out the window, I think I see a bear.