perky gorillas...

Yep. No Tuesdays with TLC yesterday. Bless her heart. The road to y-all-know-where is paved with good intentions. Not that that’s where TLC is headed! Hopefully. Maybe she'll be able to post next Tuesday. (I'm not holding my breath, Friends. Winky. Wink.)

Meantime, life goes on out here in the country. I was actually going to TLC’s casa yesterday morning. For one night. The weatherpeeps skeered me. They were calling for possibly severe storms, heavy winds, quarter-sized hail from Monday night until this evening  and I had to cancel. My Highlander is not quite a year old. IF I can avoid hail damage—I try to! (As it turned out, we got heavier and more rain than TLC. It was not the extreme weather the TV peeps were predicting. What's new? )

I was going because TLC was to see a doctor in Plano. She'd rescheduled the appointment from two months ago. When something happened and she had to cancel. Although I felt guilty that I seemed to be placing my car over my daughter and Her Precious Princesses (I was actually concerned with both my safety and TLC's. Truly.), in the end, everything worked out for the best. Little Leighton (aka LL aka Biscuit) had a low-grade fever when she woke up and is suffering from her one-thousandth cold of this school year. TLC kept her home. My inability to come and be Grammy Nanny inspired TLC to decide to find a doctor closer to home. (I believe her Mama had suggested this months ago…)

I’m now going tomorrow morning and spending the night. All’s well that ends well!

Y’all know I am the BIGGEST FAN of My Sweet Hubby (MSH). For so many reasons. Not the least of which is his OCDness—(clearly where TLC got hers)—when it comes to keeping our home clean, organized and lovely.  He's mucho better than me about this. Anyone can look in his closet any day of the week any hour of the day. It is immaculate. For almost 40 years, he's always been ready, willing and able to make our bed. With me or without my assistance. (We both want it done EVERY MORNING. Period. It’s a must.) He knows I’m hugely picky about the way all of the pillows are arranged. Honestly? He does a dern decent job of getting them 97% the way I like them!

This morning, while we were making it, he said, with a serious look on his handsome face:

“My pillows seem to be a bit perkier than yours.”

He meant his pillows were sitting up “straighter” against our headboard.

It was a “Little Fruitcake” (This is TLC’s affectionate term she uses A LOT for her Dad.) moment. It made me giggle. It also meant I had to make my side of pillows “perkier.” Which, of course, I gladly did.

After TLC took Biscuit to school, she called me. She was heading to Baby Elle’s two-year checkup with their pediatrician. (WWHHHAAAATTTTT?????? Two-Year CHECKUP. STOP IT, Father Time. IMMEDIATELY.) She wanted to tell me about the dream (Dream? Or nightmare?) Biscuit had last night. Biscuit had told her what she remembered as they ate breakfast.

(And, let me share this: TLC has spent her entire life having the cRaZiEsT dreams. I mean completely off-the-chain NUTS. Most of the time we can figure out what has happened in her life that’s made her dream such silly/insane stuff. Sometimes, though, it is completely mysterious. Biscuit seems to be following her Mom’s trend of having wild dreams and remembering them. At least long enough to tell someone about them.)

So LL said she was at our country casa. She and MSH and I were all walking over to our Barn (She was carrying a little stuffed giraffe she loves...) to put our cat, Hunter, up for the night. (Hunter cannot come into our home or into the Barn apartment. He’s too out-of-control when it comes to clawing at any and everything—particularly furniture. I caught him soon after we adopted him, last year from the Humane Society, attempting to destroy MSH's camo chair in his office in the Barn apartment one afternoon as I cleaned said apartment. He was permanently banned from any inside visits. He loves it outside so don't worry about him! Also, we adore him.) We put him up every night inside the Barn where he has his food, lots of fresh water, is warm and/or cool, and can roam free, being safe from country critters like bobcats, foxes, owls, etc., that would like to eat him for dinner. Or breakfast.

Near our Barn, we have a small grove of live oak trees that occur naturally in a half-circle. We’ve got a seating area and firepit in that cozy area. LL said as we got close to the Barn, we saw several gorillas in those trees. GORILLAS. (She has recently been to the Ft. Worth Zoo.) She and I ran into the apartment—locking the doors. MSH ran with Buddy Bear the Dog and Hunter the Cat into the Barn, pulling that door down fast. All of us were trying to get away from one of the gorillas that had come down from the trees to chase us! (She thought he was mad because he didn't like giraffes.) He (And I'm saying “he.” You know. Just because. I think LL told her Mom "He.") was banging on the door and windows of the apartment trying to get in! Apparently to get that pesky giraffe.

Then LL woke up.

I asked TLC if she seemed afraid/freaked out/worried. She said no. Biscuit relayed the dream quite matter-of-factly. Laughing a bit at the end.

Trust me: We have no gorillas here. Only perky pillows.

Hope Y’all are having a Wonderful Wednesday…wherever in this World Y’all are!

(Extra-Perky) Hugs and Smooches,

ELC