“Okay, girls. The sun will be up soon. What’s on the agenda today?”

“Gee, Dad. We just got here. We need some time to contemplate.”

“What has gotten into him?”

“Beats me. I guess we better put our thinking caps on.”

“Our what? What the heck is a thinking cap?”

“It’s an expression  for getting focused on a problem.”

“So, what does your thinking cap say to you?”

“It says we should figure out what to do today.”

“How about playing with some toys?”

“Yeah, here is a bumble bee. Might be fun to play keep away.”

“You usually win that game. How about another?”

“look at all those toys. Surely, we can find one that we both would enjoy.”

You are correct, but don’t call me Shirley.”

“We haven’t played with Mr. Crab for a while.”

“Please don’t make me play with Mr. Crab. We just did that yesterday.”

“Okay. You can stop the tantrum. What do you want to play with?”

“Why do I always have to decide?”

“You know, I may use you as a toy in one minute.”

“Hey. That sounds like a good idea.”

“Well, I’m licking my chops at the prospect.”

“The panther fakes being hurt to lure the puma closer.”

“The puma isn’t going to fall for it and prepares for the death strike.”

“This is great.”

“Who needs toys anyway.”

“What are you doing over there, Twiggy?”

“Mom went out that door, and I’m waiting for her return.”

“I don’t know, but I think it could be a while.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Um, she took the car keys.”

“Yeah, good point. You playing with fish?”

“Yeah, I love this stupid thing.”

“How’s Frog Dog doing?”

“He’s okay. I just want to play with fish.”

“I understand. I think I’ll check out unicorn.”

“They are all in that rainbow as far as I know.”

“You’re right. I can see that they are all in place.”

“Why don’t you pull ’em out and toss ’em?”

“These guys are not as easy as they look. You have to pull them by their horn.”

“Oh, come on. Big hunter like you. Just pull ’em.”

“See that little white thing? It’s in there feet first.”

“You can do it anyway.”

“I hadn’t planned on a complex game right now.”

“Well, as soon as I’m finished eviscerating this fish, I’ll give you a hand.”

“I’ve seen you take hours on that. I’ll just rest here till you’re done.”

“More in your wheelhouse.”

“Watch it, kid.”

“Well, Twiggy. Looks like another day.”

“Yes, it is. A new opportunity for fun and learning.”

“What kind of fun and learning?”

“We can start off with a jungle ruckus.”

“Great idea. The Panther strikes fast and first.”

“Hey, we didn’t say go.”

“The early bird gets the worm.”

“I’ll show you early bird and worm.”

“Whoa, that was some move.”

“I’ve got more too.”

“Okay, okay. You got me pinned.”

“So much for the early bird. More like a dirty bird.”

“I guess I’ll think first before trying a preemptive strike.”

“Might be a good idea. How about a nap?”

“Ah, this is more like it. Are you going to lay down?”

“Yes, but I must make sure everything is okay first.”

“While you’re checking, I’ll make myself more comfortable.”

“Yeah, why not. The puma sniffs the air.”

“You hear that?”

“I sure did. I think it was a UPS van a couple of miles away.”

“A couple of miles? Still time for a snooze.”

“You better be ready on my signal. Those guys can sneak up on you.”

“The panther spots the unsuspecting puma in the valley.”

“The puma senses a lurking presence.”

“The panther goes for the throat.”

“The puma wards off the attack.”

“The panther finds herself in a bit of trouble.”

“The puma gives the panther a chance to surrender.”

“The panther breaks the hold and parries with a jaw thrust.”

“The puma avoids the razor-sharp teeth.”

“The panther tries for an upper leg grip.”

“The puma shakes the grip off.”

“Well, that was fun, Twiggy. I say it is a draw.”

“It is so good to see you back to near normal.”

“I have to say it feels better, and I’m happier off the medicine.”

“You still have to take it easy but are recovered.”

“What now?”

“I hear the call of a nap.”

“What was the surgery for this time?”

“Tempest had an elongated soft palate that, if not taken care of, would cause problems later. She will be able to breathe better and not have issues with gagging later in life.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes. She is a little sleepy from the anesthesia.”

“Come on, Dad. Give it to me straight. She doesn’t look okay.”

“This is perfectly normal. Her body needs to rest, and traces of the anesthesia cause her to be sleepy.”

“I guess I’ve never seen her so still. When can she play?”

“Her recovery time is going to be at least three days. Playing will be based on how she feels after that.”

“Three days? How are we going to keep her quiet for three days?”

“For one, you can help by not engaging in any incidences of ruckus.”

“I can do that. You must know, though, that she’s the one who usually starts it.”

“I do know that, but you’ll be a big sister and not engage even if she tries.”

“Okay, I will do my best.”

“That’s all we can ask.”

“I must admit I like her as an awake panther better.”

“It won’t be long, Twiggy. She’ll be attacking you before you know it.”

“Don’t tell her, Dad, but I hope you’re right.”

“So Twiggy, what makes you think someone’s coming?”

“I heard Mom mention a delivery.”

“FedEx or what?”

“Hmm. I think she said UPS. Maybe I’ll ask her.”

“If you ask, she’ll be on to us. We might be put in the no barking place.”

“Good thinking. I would hate to miss the opportunity.”

“I know. You taught me that barking UPS to St Louis is one of life’s pleasures.”

“The greatest is when UPS, FedEx, and Amazon all show up.”

I don’t think I have ever seen that.”

“No, but trust me. It will happen.”

“Are you sure you heard Mom correctly?”

“Well, yeah. I was standing by the sink, and she was looking at her phone.”

“Looking at her phone? You said she mentioned a delivery.”

“When she looks at her phone, it is usually a delivery on the way.”

“So you never heard her say ‘delivery.'”

“Give me strength. It doesn’t matter if she said it or not. A phone look is a delivery.”

“What about a text or something else?”

“Do you want to bark? Yes or no? If you do, you have to have faith.”

“Okay, I have faith.”

“Good. Stand by for a good bark, then.”

“Hey, Twiggy. Want to go outside and ruckus?”

“That sounds like fun. Let’s do it.”

“I think we should start with a game of Panther and Puma.”

“Always fun, Little One.”

“Mom, we need to go out and play.”

“Unless it’s an emergency. It’s too hot. It is 105°F (4o.5°C) out there”

“What do you think? Should we fake an emergency?”

“When you do that, you may be ignored when a real emergency comes up.”

“I’m dying to get outside and play. What do we do?”

“We can still play inside. We just can’t run around as much.”

“How about we switch roles. You be the panther, and I’ll be the puma.”

“You crack me up, Tempeste. You wouldn’t even know where to start being a puma.”

“Oh yeah. How about this roar?”

“You did scare me there. Maybe I could give you a few pointers.”

“I have been watching you, so I think I can handle it.”

“Okay then. Let’s just step over to the mat and give it a go.”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Showing you the puma face grab move.”

“Yikes. You caught me off guard.”

“I thought you said you could handle it?”

“Well, maybe I overstated my skill set.”

“The puma holds the panther down for the count of three.”

“Okay, I’ll admit it. We need to stay in our own roles.”

“At least you were willing to try something new. You get kudos for that. You ready to play Puma and Panther?”

“The panther stalks her prey. This will be a clean kill.”

“The puma gets ready for the attack. The panther will be no match.”