If you look up the word gullible in the dictionary, you will see my face. I’ve been this way since I was a small child I’m afraid. My childhood best friend – who had a wicked pranking streak – had a field day with me. She could convince me of anything.

April Fool’s Day was made for people like me. To be the victim, that is. I don’t know how many April Fools jokes have been played on me, and I’ve fallen for them all. Look, it’s Haley’s Comet! Yep. I looked every time.

I often tried to be the April Fools prankster, but it never worked. I’m not sure if I was simply not creative enough to come up with a good joke or if I just gave it away by blinking too hard while making the play. No matter. It rarely worked for me.

A couple of years ago I was driving my granddaughter Addie home from piano lessons on April Fool’s Day. April 1^st. In Colorado. Might even have been some snow on the ground. Anyway, we are driving out of the neighborhood where her piano teacher lived when suddenly Addie says, “Nana, did you see that back there?”

“See what?” I replied.

“A huge yard of daisies,” she said. “They were really pretty.”

Again, it’s April 1^st. Spring has barely sprung in Colorado. But she’s my granddaughter and I didn’t doubt her for a minute. I sincerely believed her. I quickly did a U-turn and went back down the block.

Oh. My. Heavens. Did that girl ever laugh! “April Fool’s Day!” she happily chirped.

Ladies and gentlemen, I haven’t heard the end of that since that day. She tells the story to everyone who will listen (she is a McLain, after all). So yesterday, it being April Fool’s Day and all, I concocted a scheme that would prank Miss Adelaide Grace.

I decided to send her a photo of me with a scorpion tattoo. One, she would be shocked that her Nana got a tattoo. Two, ooooooo, a scorpion. I sent a text to her mom letting her know my plan so that she wouldn’t be shocked when she got a photo of me with a tattoo.

Of course, I didn’t want to actually get a real tattoo. So I began the hunt for a temporary tattoo. I checked the party store. They had them but Cinderella was not the look I was going for. I called tattoo parlors to see if they would have temporary tattoos. No go. I even went into what is referred to as a “Smoke Shop.” In my high school and college days we would have called that a head shop. You know, where they sell tobacco wrapping papers and hookah pipes and pipes for other uses as well.

As an aside, let me just tell you that the young man working in this so-called smoke shop was quite surprised to see me walk in. But he was as nice as could be to me. It was a no-go on the tattoos and he referred me back to the party store, likely thinking a Cinderella tattoo was just what I was looking for.

In the end, Bill printed out a scorpion and we glued it to my arm. He took my photo and we sent it to Addie via her mom’s phone, and waited for the reply.

It came a bit later. A text from her mom’s phone:

“Nana, this is Addie here. Nice try. I knew you were lying so I scrolled up only to find your earlier conversation with mom. You two should have made this a separate text.”

See? Getting pranking lessons from my 11-year-old granddaughter.

Anyway, she went on to say, “Maggie fell off the zipline this morning and broke her arm. She chose a purple cast.”

Panicked, I telephoned immediately to find out little Maggie’s broken bone status, and was greeted with nothing but laughter. Yes, my friends, April Fools. A new story for Addie to tell.

Today’s recipe is a grilled side dish.

Grilled Garlic Potatoes, courtesy Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

6 medium baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large white onion, sliced

3 T. butter, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Process

Preheat grill for high heat. Arrange potato slices, separated by onion and butter slices, on a large piece of aluminum foil. Top with garlic, and season with parsley, salt, and pepper. Tightly seal potatoes in the foil

Place on the preheated grill and cook 20 minutes, turning once, or until potatoes are tender.

Sprinkle potatoes with Cheddar cheese,reseal foil packets, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.