It appears I've focused this blog a wee-bit heavily toward my son Michael. But can you blame me? He's a groovy little kid and I delight in sharing his exploits. I've promised myself, however, that I would devote this entire posting to something other than little Michael. There is only one problem - As a stay-at-home Dad I really don't have that much to talk about.
I could delve into a thrilling account of a rather pesky pimple taking up residence on my nose. The little red bugger began visiting two weeks ago. The visit morphed into a vacation, and before I knew it, the zit was signing mortgage papers. I guess we're going to have to learn to live together.
Or, I could share the exciting news about my answering machine. I have a voice mail from Rev. Robert Fulghum saved for all to hear. That would be "best-selling author and noted minister Robert Fulghum," who wrote the timeless classic "All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten." Apparently he suffered a spider bite bringing forth shingles before he called, and he sounds like death warmed over, but IT'S REALLY HIM!!! The esteemed Reverend has graciously agreed to visit our Unitarian church here in Boise this weekend. We can't believe our good fortune! I was lucky enough to speak with him last week, and April and I are going to attend a dinner party with Fulghum on Saturday night (nodding smugly while tugging on my tuxedo).
But who wants to hear boring tales about me having dinner with best-selling authors anyway? If there is one thing I know, it's my audience (hi Mom!), and my audience will not rest until I convey the tale of how April and I are being haunted by the ghost of our cat Smores.
Let me be perfectly clear - I've never really believed in ghosts or the supernatural. It's not that I haven't wanted to believe. I just never seem to cross paths with anything ghostly. During college April and I rented the creepiest, spookiest old house we could find. I remember moving in with giddy anticipation of witnessing chairs flying across the room, ghouls appearing in the bathroom mirror, and blood-curdling screams in the dead of night.
Only nothing happened. Not a single incident. I crept ever-so-nervously down the creeky hallway in the dark, practically begging a ghost to jump out and frighten me. I spent hours chanting "Bloody Mary" in front of the mirror. Nothing!
It's not that the house lacked terrifying entities. They just all happened to be living. You see, the house was indeed haunted, but only by hairy "hobo" spiders. Brown recluse spiders, for those of you from the east coast. They were creepy, all right, but not exactly spirits from the great beyond.
Thus I venture through life without any real belief in ghosts. So you can imagine my surprise when I realized that April and I are indeed being haunted. By our dead cat, no less.
I've written about Smores, in this blog before. She was a great pet and a loving addition to our family. Unfortunately, she suffered massive kidney failure around the holidays and ventured forth to the great scratching post in the sky.
This is where our tale crosses over into another dimension. A dimension of sight and sound and all the other Twilight Zone references I'm forgetting. Just a couple of nights after Smores passed away, April felt something stuck in her ear. She promptly reached up and pulled out a large cat whisker.
We lived with Smores for more than 10 years and neither of us ever woke up in the middle of the night with a cat whisker stuck in our ears. Spooky!
About a week later I was deeply involved in my usual dreaming -- clowns jumping on cotton candy clouds and humming "I am the Walrus" while gum drops rain from the sky -- when all of a sudden Smores casually entered the dream. She strolled up to me revealing secrets from the great beyond, only in cat language so I couldn't understand it. Thanks for nothing! She rubbed against my legs with purr-motor in full gear. I felt completely at peace and content. It was like she was saying, "Thanks Dad, I feel great here!"
She then casually strolled out of the dream and I resumed my adventures with the clowns. I woke up that morning with that same peaceful and content feeling. I am convinced Smores visited me in my dream that night to let me know everything is all right. She was not the focus of the dream. She just popped in to say, "Hi." Oooooooh!!!
Still not convinced? How about this tale -- April and I finally broke down and traded in the Corolla a couple of weeks ago for a bright-green Jeep. Yes, I know, the Corolla is dependable. It gets good gas mileage, blah, blah, blah. IT WAS BORING!! I never liked that car. Every time I exited the grocery store, I found myself tugging on the door of at least three silver Corollas before I stumbled upon my own. It was the ultimate snoozer.
April's had her eye on a Jeep since high school. A combination of winter blues, the fact we're both turning 30 this year, and pure boredom convinced us the time was right. April ventured to the dealership and picked out the greenest machine you've ever seen! (I call it "The Hulk" for obvious reasons). After signing the papers and settling in for the ride home, April noticed something laying on the seat. Stunned, she proceeded to pick up a large white cat whisker. Boogedy Boogedy Boo!!
I'm not sure why Smores felt compelled to haunt us in our new Jeep. She always hated cars. But I'm not complaining. Here's to many more hauntings Smores! We miss you, we love you, and we'll see you soon!
Be good kiddies!
- Dave
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Okay, I have to add a few details to the Smores haunting... :) The night before I'd found the whisker in my ear, I'd directly asked Smores to give me a sign that she'd made it to where she needed to be and that she was okay. Then, I woke up with a whisker in my ear! And, as for the Jeep, it was the strangest thing. We haven't been looking for a new car... we weren't even thinking about it. For over a year (in and around 2006), I drove by a dealership with a green jeep every day on my way to and from work. Oh, I wanted that jeep so bad! But, it just didn't make sense at the time. Then, 2 weeks ago, I just curiously looked up jeeps online (my parents recently bought one making me cry inside with jealousy!). Well, online, there it was... my bright green jeep. A 2005 with less than 10K miles and in our price range. Almost as though possessed, I went to the dealership all on my own... although, I had Dave's trust and support. When I test drove the jeep, I felt as though it had been my car for as long as I can remember. It felt as though I was just giving a friend (the nice dealer) a ride! Before I knew it, the keys were in my hands and the jeep was in my name. When I got in to drive home, I looked on the passenger seat beside me. There, in the middle of the seat, was a white cat whisker (Note: the dealer told me he had dogs, no cats... so it wasn't his). Plus, any of you who have lived w/cats know that you don't exactly find cat whiskers every day! I think the jeep was her gift to me, to us :)
Love, April (Dave's wife :)
Post a Comment