Last weekend, being a long weekend, we were at a slower pace than usual. A friend was over as we were going about our everyday things. It gave me a new view of what our "normal" looks like to an outsider who knows us as well as anyone does.
We were discussing wood and bark, and it started because M used one word when she should have used the other one, in my opinion. Four of us were in the room. Here's what followed:
M: Aren't wood and bark the same thing?
me: Well, bark is usually the outer layer and the wood comes from the interior layers.
M: Yeah, but they are part of the same tree, and essentially the same.
me: Maybe at the atomic level. I'm not sure. However, they are different. Bark is rougher, for instance.
our visitor: crooked smile starts getting bigger as she appears to be watching a ridiculous scene on TV.
M: Doesn't the atomic level determine things like roughness?
me: the DNA of a butterfly and caterpillar are the same, even though they are different. Maybe it's how they are arranged, I'm not sure.
M: I think they are the same.
me: Most people refer to bark and wood differently, whether or not it's technically accurate. Besides, I think bark might float more easily than wood.
the dad: rolls his eyes and gets up, telling the visitor "welcome to my world."
visitor: "Mmmm hmmmm" in her very attitude-filled tone.
M: Don't the atoms make it float more or less?
me: I'm not sure. It's about density.
the dad: Yup, mass and density.
me: We're on summer schedule. It's something you can look up.
Just an average afternoon of sitting around with no plans in particular. I'm not sure it would have occurred to me as atypical. That fact alone makes me laugh, actually. Hope you had a great holiday weekend and are entering the short week in good spirits.
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