Tuesday, April 1, 2014: Poisson d'Avril

In France, April Fool's Day is known as Poisson d'Avril, which translates to "April Fish".  Apparently fish in April are slow and easy to catch (maybe because it is still cold?)  The idea is that as a prank you are supposed to stick fish to other people's back without them noticing, then everyone can laugh at them for being a slow April fish.  My Mother found out about this on a trip to Paris several years ago and has been amused by the idea ever since.  I wouldn't be surprised if my Dad takes off his shirt tonight and finds a fish on the back of it...

My Father's side of the family is rather known for April fool's jokes.  (I think it is the sarcasm gene we have that makes us do it.)  My Grandmother, who has been gone for nearly five years now, once as a child on a rainy day loaned her brother her raincoat to put over his head.  Since he couldn't see with her coat over her head, dear old Grandma offered to lead him home... through the cow field.  No, she didn't bother to lead him around the cow pies.  I can still remember how she would laugh so hard she cried every time she told that story!

My Dad, who takes practical joking to some extremes at times, was perhaps karma's revenge on my Grandmother for the pranks she played on her siblings.  In the house that my Dad grew up in (which my parents later purchased and I lived in until the age of 12) the family commonly entered by the back door.  Once you were in the back door there were coat hooks and such, the entry functioned as a small mud room.  After removing your shoes and coat you could either go up a small set of steps into the kitchen, or go down a set of stairs to the basement.  One April Fool's day my Dad came in, took off his boots and kicked them down the stairs to the basement.  He then quickly ran down the basement stairs and laid at the bottom.  The noise from the boots brought my Grandmother running.  She always laughed about that story, but I'm betting my Dad got yelled at that April Fool's day!

Actually, my favorite prank of my Dad's was not an April Fool's prank.  His parents were going out of town and he was going to be left home alone.  My Grandmother gave him strict instructions to behave himself while he was gone, and further stipulated that there was to be "no beer parties!"  My Father went around to every local tavern and collected as many empty beer bottles and cans as they would give him and piled them in the front yard!  (I suspect, given my Dad's love of beer that he probably drank some of them as well...)  Needless to say, Grandma and Grandpa were shocked when they came home and Grandma told the story with laughs for many years afterward!

Sweater: Sophia Milano; Necklaces (top to bottom): my own, Megan Goldkamp; Belt: Calvin Klein; Jeans: Lucky; Shoes: Reef