Watching: A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story, one of the best of the cheesy movies Lifetime reruns endlessly. It is a guilty pleasure watching this virago's destructive rage.

Eating: Cruschiki, given to us by one of the Ukrainian ladies next door. Cruschiki are a kind of twisted dough cookie, which are fried in hot oil and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Yum!

Water Guns

Another hot day. In the late morning, I took the boys outside to cool off in the wading pool. They love playing in and around the water. I remember that when I was a kid, my mother used to set up the wading pool for us and con us into bringing buckets of water to pour over her legs while she rested in the chaise longue. She had us convinced that it was a great treat to be asked to perform this task.

Tab's yard sale purchases yesterday included several water guns. Not just the little water pistols that I remember from my childhood, but monstrous water rifles. You pump the rifle several times to prime it, and then you can shoot streams of water 20 to 30 feet.

Now, I have mixed feelings about water guns. We don't allow the boys to have any other type of toy guns, but we've made an exception for water guns. Still, they make me feel a little uneasy, even though I can understand their appeal for the boys.

Thoughts of kids and guns, toy or otherwise, were rattling around in my head all day. At dinner tonight we started talking to Daniel about what to do if he ever sees or finds a real gun.

"Don't pick it up, or even touch it. Tell a grownup, right away," I instruct him.

"And if you are ever at a friend's house, and he shows you a gun, leave the room right away and tell a grownup," said Tab.

"Even if your friend tells you it's a secret and you can't tell anyone," I add.

Daniel seemed to understand, and repeated back to us what he would do if he ever finds himself in such a situation.

I hate that we have to worry about our sons coming into contact with guns. And I really hate that every attempt at imposing even the most minimal restrictions on gun purchase and ownership has been thwarted by the NRA.

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