“Well, Little One. It is a gorgeous day. What do you want to do?”

“It is beautiful for sure. I’m thinking sunbath.”

“Sounds good for a while. Any interest in chasing that bird?”

“Eh. I know him. He is way too fast. Bit of a tease too.”

“I get that. Anything we need to track?”

“Let me try a sniff or two here.”

No luck back there. What about the patio?”

“I’m getting a whiff of something but hard to put my nose on it.”

“What do you mean ‘hard to get your nose on it?’ Your nose never lets you down.”

“That’s why it’s so confusing. I would know Puma in an instant.”

“Where you going?”

“I think it has run along the fence. So I’m going to track it down.”

“Well, that was a big zero.”

“I know, right? Unfortunately, the trail stopped right here.”

“So you going for that sunbath now?”

“Yeah, feel how warm the sun is. This is great.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Where you going?”

“To see if the cabana boy is on duty.”

“He’s off today, darn it.”

“You can still stretch out and relax.”

“I was hoping we wouldn’t have to go all the way to the house for a drink.”

“You have such First World concerns, Lucy.”

“You think?”

 

“Where you off to Little One?”

“I’m trying to see if I can locate some sunshine.”

“Having any luck?”

“Look at my ears. They’ll tell you I’m not.”

“I don’t know what to say. But, sometimes in life, a little rain must fall.”

“after all that cold weather, not today.”

“You can still layout on the lounge.”

“What’s the point? Lay there and be sprinkled on?”

“Well, okay, I see you are determined to be miserable.”

“It’s not that. I was just looking forward to a nice sunbath.”

“And I have been waiting for a T-Bone steak. Sometimes we get disappointed.”

“Where you going?”

To find some positivity.”

“Hey, wait. There is a UPS truck pulling up.”

“Well done on the UPS truck. I think he is in St Louis by now.”

“You were right. A little positivity goes a long way. Nothing like a bark-a-thon to set the day right.”

“you feel better?”

“On top of the world.”

 

“Hey, Lucy. Come here. There’s a bunch of junk on the porch.”

“Okay. What kind of junk?”

“I’m not sure. Looks like old sheets and towels and a roll of grey stuff.”

“Yeah, that is duct tape, Little one.”

“Who wants to tape a duck?”

“Not duck. Duct. It is one of the Boss’s go-to tools.”

“I see by the full watering can something is up.”

“Here comes the Boss. Let’s ask. Hey, boss, what is all this stuff?”

“I’m just getting things ready for a few days of below-freezing temperatures.”

“So you have unhooked the hose, Dad?”

“That’s right, Twiggy. We don’t want our faucets to freeze and break.”

You have to explain a little more, Boss. How do they freeze and break?”

“When the water is in the hose, and it is connected to the faucet, the water can freeze and expand, breaking the faucet.”

“Now that Dad is gone, let me ask. You get that, Lucy?”

“Nope, but as long as the Boss is in charge, I think all we have to do is say we do.”

“Close your eyes, Lucy. I have a surprise for you.”

“Better not be the old Twiggy vanish trick. Okay, they are closed.”

“Open them up and gaze on this faucet wrapped with a towel and duct tape.”

“Oh man, I thought you had found a stray kibble bowl.”

“Look at this masterpiece.”

“If you don’t mind, I’m going in to give someone a sad look and beg for a treat. This has been hard work.”

“I’ll help.”

“Hey, Lucy, look at all that sun.”

“I know, Little one. It has been a while since we have had some.”

“What do you think? A game of tag, maybe?”

“Sounds good. Man, that shadow makes me look big.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. You are a perfect size.”

“Thank you, Little One. But, just the same, I think I will mind the shadows.”

“You hear that? Let’s go see what it is.”

“I didn’t hear anything. I’ll be right behind you.”

“I knew it. A puma has been in the yard. I can smell him.”

“Come on, there’s no puma’s around here.”

“You can believe what you want, but don’t come crying to me if one leaps out of a tree onto your back.”

” If that happened, I think I’d have more to do than coming crying to you.”

I swear he’s been here. I can almost describe him. Let’s go check the rose bed. Maybe he’s been there too.”

Okay. I think you are on a wild goose chase, though.”

Yeah, I don’t think he’s been here. Hey, what’s happened to the roses?”

“Those hard freezes caused the roses to go to sleep.”

“Someone should wake them up. They look like they are dead.”

“They will be trimmed, and then in the spring, they’ll be back.”

“You promise?”

“Yes, I do. Now, what about that game of tag?”

“I’ll count to ten.”

“Very funny.”

 

“Well, Little One, it sure is a lot warmer this morning.”

“You can say that again. I hate those cold temperatures.”

“Yeah, I do too. I wonder if any plants were hurt with the freeze.”

“Freeze? What do you mean?”

“When the temperature goes below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or zero Celsius, it is called a freeze since that is the temperature that water goes from liquid to solid.”

“Oh, like Frozen the movie. Why are these plants on the porch?”

“Mom pulls them up and covers them. They don’t do well in a freeze.”

“What happens to them?”

“Too cold, and they die. Where you going?”

“I think I left my green stick out here. I hope it didn’t get frozen.”

“Don’t worry about your green stick. It doesn’t get hurt by the freeze.”

“No, wait. I think I left it inside.”

“Well, if you did, then it is safe.”

“I better check and make sure.”

“For heaven’s sake, Twiggy. It’s fine.”

“Where are you going?”

“To check the patio plants.”

‘I want to see them too.”

“What a surprise.”

“Uh oh. Looks like the potato vines took a hit.”

“Lemme ask Dad. Hey Dad, will they come back?”

“Sadly no, Twiggy. But they only live in the summer. So it was time for them to say goodbye.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well. Let’s see if this will help. All living things have a certain amount of time allocated to them. When that time is finished, they have to move on.”

“What about green stick? How much time do I have with green stick?”

“Almost forever, Little One.”

“I like that.”

 

“What’s that, Little One?”

“My new toy. It’s called a green stick.”

“What’s it taste like?”

“Humm. Let me see.”

“Well?”

“I think it tastes like a margarita.”

“Wait a minute. You have never had a margarita.”

“I know, but I’m thinking a margarita would taste like my green stick.”

“I wonder if the big shots at the toy company know that?”

“Well, if they don’t, then someone ought to tell them.”

“Ya hear that you big shots at the toy company. Marketing pro Twiggy says your green stick should be sold as a margarita flavor.”

“Would get a lot of new users, I’ll bet.”

“I think I’ll stick with the bacon flavors.”

“Of course you will. When the next big thing comes along, you’ll still be taking a nap.”

“Hmmm. Now that you mention it. Hey mom. Open the door, please.”