Popeye

The weekends most interesting conversation.

My oldest boy is a thinker. He's a questioner. He loves to ask "what if" and his inquires of his old man are much more than the "but why" variety. The young boy has an incredible imagination, praise God. Let me try to explain the depth and range of what I am talking about by letting you in a conversation we had Saturday morning.

Saturday morning I was enjoying making breakfast for my three sons and beautiful daughter while Mom used the weekly grocery shopping trip as a means to "take a break from it all." Josh was in one of his rapid fire successive questions about life at Dad moods. One after another...bam, boom, wing, ding, fling, smack. I am used to it and as long as the effects of sleep deprevation are not in active status I can hold my own. Being that it was morning, the best time of day, and I just finished working out, I was adequately answering all the questions.

Stumped
Like I said, this boy is good and so my winning record would not last long.

Josh asks, "Dad, do you remember a man known by the name of Popeye?"

I am thinking another easy question, "Sure son, I watched him all the time. He's a cartoon character salior man who's strong because he eats spinach."

I start to sing Popeye's theme song but Josh wants that to stop immediately so he responds to my answer with "Ya'know, I thought he was Buttchin Bill"

"What? Who?" I ask. Now things have become really interesting. "Who is Buttchin Bill? Is he some guy you see in the cartoon's on Saturday mornings?"

Josh says as if I am the stupid one "Dad, the guy you call Popeye is Buttchin Bill."

"Says, who?" I ask. I am totally curious. He has drawn me in. "Josh, who is this Buttchin Bill guy?"

Now Josh is a little peeved at me because he has to explain himself, "Dad, the guy everbody calls Popeye is Buttchin Bill. I have named him Buttchin Bill. I made up his name."

"But why Buttchin Bill, who is that?" I am perplexed.

"Dad, ya'know...Butt...Chin...Bill. He's got a chin that looks like a butt and I wanted to call him Bill. Get it?"

"I suppose. So, you made this up all by yourself and that is who Popeye is to you, Buttchin Bill?"

"Yep" Josh proclaims.

"What if I told you he is Popeye?"

"Nope, he is Buttchin Bill."

"Ok, Josh. Thanks for the heads up."

"Sure Dad."