The Reason for the Ladder

Don't tell the eldest son this, but I haven't practiced my rope climb in over a week. I've been a little distracted by play. It's summertime and I'm grown. I've earned playtime. (But for real, don't tell him.)

After mowing today, guilt kicked in and the rope started calling to me (not very nicely, either), so I decided to get some practice in.

Unfortunately, if you slack off for a week, you start to lose the little bit of progress you've gained. After several minutes of hanging there unable to get my feet set, I remembered my dad's suggestion to climb a ladder and start from the top.

So, I got the ladder out. It took me a while to find it. I'm not one to do my own home repairs, so I've never actually used it before. I'm not even quite sure where it came from. Most likely my dad donated it hoping I would become some kind of independent woman who handles her own to-do list. Whatever. The point is, I found it and began setting it up to practice my rope climb...

Did you know that if you leave a ladder sitting unused for several years, wasps are very likely to build their home there?

So, maybe I now have a wasp-infested ladder just sitting outside of my basement door. And possibly I didn't warn the kids that are currently in the basement. But really, they should be reading my blog in support of my fundraising efforts anyway, right?

I'm hoping one of them will put the ladder away for me so I can go back to practicing my rope climb.

And I also hope that the one who does isn't allergic to stings.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my couch the rest of the day waiting to see if the pain subsides or if benadryl is in order.