I remember, as I rode the school bus to school on Halloween day, seeing the outhouse on the same bank's lawn on the same day every year. It posed a challenge to the police year after year to prevent this, but somehow the pranksters prevailed in this mischief night tradition. As the years went by, and more and more of the area's farmland was sold off and developed, I suppose that the town's supply of outhouses dried up, and another community tradition died quietly. I do, however, wonder if the local police department took credit for preventing further outhouse misdemeanors.

When I was growing up at home, our windows were "soaped" every year. My parents never seemed to let it bother them. Perhaps the fact that they would have their children clean it off is the reason. Now that I look back, maybe they knew that their kids were doing some "soaping" as well. In fact one night my brother and I soaped our own windows at home in hopes of making us look less likely as suspects. Somehow it did not look like such a good idea the next day as we were cleaning the windows. The best pranks however are the ones that take some real thought. Also they are relatively harmless, as the outhouse gag for example.

My son is a prankster. I suppose he takes after me in that respect. One night, he and I were watching the ball game on TV when my wife came in and told him it was trash night. I told him I would help him. As I got up from the sofa, I sneaked the remote control into my pocket. Just as we thought, my wife looked for the remote and found the universal one. She sat down and switched the station from the baseball game to "Entertainment Tonight" or another show like that. My son and I watched through the window as she got comfortable. I then took the remote control from my pocket, pointed it at the TV and cycled through the stations back to the game. With a curious look, she pointed her controller and changed it back to her show. Before she had placed the remote back on the coffee table, I changed it back. A very puzzled look came over her as she looked around to see if anyone was around doing this to her. She again aimed the remote at the TV and cycled back to her channel. As she let go of the button, I continued to cycle through, right past her station, and stopped it on the PBS station. My son, bless his heart, wanted a turn now. His mother gave the controller a sharp whack, at which point John pressed the power button turning the television off. An infrared battle ensued as now the TV was being switched on and off repeatedly. The idea now came to her that possibly the remote control was shot and she got up to turn the TV on manually. She stood next to the TV for a few moments, and then, satisfied that it was going to stay on, returned to the sofa. They say that you cannot teach timing, and I was a proud dad that day watching my son wait for her to sit down before he turned it off again. Exasperated, she slammed down the TV guide and got up to go over to the TV again and John turned it on..then off .. on.. off.. then on and back to her station. Just then the phone rang. He left the TV on and at her station as she gabbed. John and I turned to each other and we could almost see the idea "light bulbs" over us as we simultaneously said, "cell phone!" So after she finished on the phone, the real fun began. John waited for her to sit down again to watch her how before he turned the TV off. As she walked to the TV, I called and let it ring once and then hung up. This went on for a few minutes, until it dawned on her that she was being had. I will remember that as one of my best pranks, and smile at the knowledge that my son will carry on for me when I'm gone.