When my Father and Uncle were alive, April Fools Day was a perilous time.
You had to taste the sugar because it could be switched with salt.
You had to look at inside of your shoes because there could be any number of surprises hidden inside. And the laces could be tied in knots that would take many minutes to undo.
You had to make sure that your coffee wasn’t laced with molasses or brewed with as much black pepper as with coffee itself.
House-shoes were glued to the floor. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it will make you take one hell of a tumble on you face, if you aren’t paying attention. IF you’re lucky enough to become aware of the problem half way through your stride, you will look like Micheal Jackson when he did that improbably lean in the Smooth Criminal video.
You had to look to see if the banisters or a few stairs were covered with bacon grease, or if the door locks were filled with the some gooey substance.
They thought it was an early morning hoot to hide all the toilet paper in the house under the couch cushions so you would go bare ass into the living room, a huge gaffe in those days.
One year Uncle crept in during the night to snip all the buttons off Dad’s work clothes while Dad was outside, blowing up as many balloons as it took to fill Uncle’s car. Not helium balloons because they would fly out when the door was opened, regular air filled balloons that just sat there until you pulled each and every one out by hand. They both had to call in to work and take an emergency day off.
Now, there is no one who likes to play pranks. I sure miss those silly guys.
Barnesversation 