Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Rain, Mud, and a Puzzle

I had planned to go for a long walk today to the badger grounds, where a family of badgers has made its home along a wooded knoll. Unfortunately, it rained and so the walk was postponed. I'll go as soon as I can and take pictures. The work the badgers have done is quite incredible. I see them rarely. Actually, in five years here, I've seen one twice. Both times it was at night, both times it was while it scooted across the road and vanished in the tall grass. For such a big creature, they move fast and are very discrete.

Our new dog, Auguste, is a dachshund, which means 'badger hound' in German. They were bred to dig badgers out of their holes, so the dachshund is quite a digger. Our garden already has several deep holes to prove this, and I am gearing up to defend my tulips and flower beds come this spring. Auguste and I may have some disagreements. Today, before it rained, my husband took the chainsaw and cut down some scrub trees in the back garden and we cleaned up the hedge. The garden looks good (for a winter garden) but it is mostly mud right now. Going outdors means putting on boots or my wooden garden clogs my friend Andrea gave me, and which I leave near the back door. The garden clogs are terrific. I can just hose them off and they are easier to put on and take off than rubber boots. When I put them on, Auguste has learned it means I'm going into the back garden, and he gets all excited. He loves to play (in the mud). I have to carry him down the back stairs though. He can go UP the stairs, but he hasn't learned to go back down.

Anyhow, because it rained, my son and I made chocolate chip cookies. And he figured out a puzzle I have been working on for 2 days now. (it took him ten minutes) Here is the puzzle:

By adding one single line, this equation will make sense: 5 + 5 + 5 = 550 (You may not touch the = sign)

Can you figure this out? I'll post the answer in a couple days!

2 comments:

Daisy Dexter Dobbs said...

I smiled as I read your lovely post, Sam. I liked the colorful image of you and the wooden clogs and little Auguste digging in your yard for badgers. It was a delightful way to start my morning.

And then my world came crashing to a halt when I reached the end of your post.

My first impulse upon spotting the math puzzle was to shriek like a banshee and run. But I’ve matured and am happy to say I didn’t run. This reminds me of those “if a train is going 38.5 mph and a donkey trots along at 3.2 mph, how many children does it take to skip to my lou if it’s 72 degrees outside at 2:00 p.m. on the 3rd day of the week?” questions from when I was a kid. *shudder*

At this hour of the morning my tiny brain is already throbbing with a single glimpse of the 5+5+5 question, which I’m quite sure has an answer simple and easy enough to make me feel like a ninny for not immediately coming up with the answer, so I’m just ignoring it as if you never even asked. :-D

Sam said...

I did not find the answer - I would NEVER have found the answer, lol. But my son did. Show it to your kids. I bet they can help!