Day Seven

Pranks and Things That go Bump in the Night

Today is a glorious day here in Central Florida! I just had to say that because I am usually complaining of the heat. I have all the windows open, thinking there's a nice breeze coming in. Jokes on me - it's 77 degrees which means the a/c is running - hence the "cool breeze." Good thing my husband isn't home...

Speaking of jokes, this is a house of pranks. Andy and I love to "gaslight" each other. For example, he left the pool drain running the other day when he left for work. Later in the day, he texted and jokingly asked if there was any water left in the pool. I texted back that there was about a foot left - was that a problem? I got a call back in about 10 seconds.

Whether they intend to do so or it's just coincidental, the other residents of the house mess with us and each other all the time. When he realizes one of his brothers is using a litter box, Chance likes to lie in wait to pounce on the poor guy when he walks out. Then there's Rooney. She becomes deaf and forgets her name when she's outside and we want her to come in. She stares at the sky and the trees and gets lost in Rooney-world. Even Roxy the bunny gets her licks in. If she doesn't like something I put in her cage, she just flings it back out!

I like to watch those haunted house shows. But at some point it occurred to me that a lot of that same stuff happens here. Finn loves the hanging chandelier in the kitchen. If he's not swinging from it, he's batting it so that it's pretty much always in motion.  He also loves lamp shades. Every lamp shade in this house is catawampus from him rearranging them. There are always unexplained crashes and bangs. Andy no longer reaches for his baseball bat when we hear a noise in the middle of the night. Someone else might think we have a ghost or a burglar. We just blame the cats.

The other night, we were watching a murder mystery. The house was dark, except for the glow from the TV. All of a sudden, Rooney, our female Bullmastiff, jumped up and started barking and growling at something behind us! We looked at each other, convinced there was somebody standing there! When I had the courage to look, I realized what she was looking at. Our daughter had left one of her makeup cases here, on the credenza behind our chairs. Now, if you know our daughter, you will understand when I say this case is blinged-out.  I guess the light caught it and Rooney thought something really scary was in the house. Well, at least that's what I convinced myself it was.

Sometimes, my well-meaning gestures go horribly wrong. Every once in awhile I manage to scare the living daylights out of my crew when I just wanted to make them happy with a new toy. Recently I saw a video online of a cat playing with a toy bank. If you put a coin on top of the bank, the top opens and a little animal reaches out and grabs the coin. Cute, right? So, I ordered one with a little white cat. I had almost forgotten about it because, it isn't just made in China, it came from China. On a raft. The package was covered in Chinese symbols and at first I was afraid to open it! Then I came to my senses and realized there is no reason for me to be the target of some Chinese terrorist! So, I opened it, and here is what is written on the box: "Mischief Saving Box  Have more innovative presented here.  More fun to play it. Top-quality."  The instructions to install the batteries were equally entertaining. 

Finn was my first victim. I put the thing on the table, pressed the button, and this loud voice yells something in Chinese, the top opens up and out pops the cat to retrieve his coin! Finn nearly pooped on the table! He looked at it, then me, then I'm sure he was thinking he was sent to live at the wrong house. He disappeared. None of the cats appreciated the new toy. Oh well. I'll give it to my grandkids. My son loves nothing more than when I send home a toy that makes loud, obnoxious sounds....

I am a firm believer that certain things in life must be taken seriously. But we can't forget to laugh and enjoy the crazy stuff when it happens. Life is so much more interesting that way.