“What the heck, Little One. It looks like someone shot a tree.”

“Big winds last night. Ixnay on the eveslay.”

“Huh. What do you mean?”

“Dad’s on the other side of the yard. So don’t talk about the leaves.”

“Why not?”

“It will cause him to get that noise monster out to pick them up.”

“I don’t think talking about them will have any effect. He knows they are here.”

“You don’t need to yell that all over the place.”

“He’s gone inside, so he can’t hear me. What are you doing?”

“I’m having a staring contest. I’ll bet I can make you look away.”

“Yeah, okay, you made me look away. You win.

“You didn’t even try. I’ll race you to the patio.”

“Okay, you win that too. Next time give me a heads up when it’s time to run.”

“I really don’t think it will make any difference. It reminds me of the tortoise and the hare.”

“You know how that turned out, don’t you? My, these impatiens are beautiful.”

“No, I never finished reading the story. So how does it turn out?”

The hare was so confident that he took a nap, and the tortoise passed him up and won the race.”

“Aw, that would never happen. The hare was so fast and the tortoise so slow.”

“Well, the tortoise just kept at it, and the hare slacked off. It’s a good lesson.

“To keep doing your best?”

“That’s it, Little one.”

“How’s your treat begging skill?”

 

“Where you going, little one?”

“I’m not sure. I’m a bit lost today.”

“What did Twiggy say?”

“It’s okay, Boss. We’ve got it handled.”

“Man, they have the ears of an elephant.”

“Yeah, so what were you saying about being lost?”

“Well, It’s just like we are in between things.”

“What do you mean ‘between things?’

“Well, take the garden, for example. All the flowers aren’t here yet.”

“Well, that’s because the weather isn’t stable.”

“Exactly. We are between warm and cold and sometimes in each.”

Yeah, but you can still soak up the sunshine. Look at how bright it is.”

“I see that, but the air is a little chilly.”

“I’ll give that to you. You have to make the best of it, though.”

“Okay. I’ll give the layout a chance. The sun does feel good.”

“You know, Little one. Sometimes life is about making accommodations.”

“If I were making the accommodations, there would be a pool here for sure.”

“By accommodations, I mean being flexible. Rolling with the punches.”

“Okay, I see what you mean. Call that cabana boy, and let’s get some kibble out here.”

“I guess that’s one kind of rolling.”

What’s all this stuff, Lucy?”

“These are spring plants, Little One.”

“This one has no scent. So how are we supposed to know what it is?”

“You have to study them. That is an impatiens.”

“Funny name. It doesn’t seem in a hurry.”

“Now these I will remember. They have a smell.”

“Yes. Those are herbs, and they have a nice scent.”

Where do these things come from?”

“When it is spring, Mom goes to the plant market and buys them.”

“How come we don’t have these in the winter?”

“These plants only like warm weather. Let’s go to the patio and see if there are more.”

“Look at these. hibiscus topiary plants.”

“Coming. There is something here.”

“Your something is a weed.”

“Yeah, I remember those. This dirt smells nice.”

“You are supposed to enjoy the plant, not the dirt.”

“To each his own. Anymore around here?”

“No, I think that’s it for now. There will be more. Let’s go play.”

“What are you doing?”

“I thought you said this was spring. These leaves are like it’s fall.”

“Yes, those are live oak leaves. They come down in the spring since the tree stays green all winter.

“So we should call this spring-fall?”

“You can. You’ll be alone, though.”

“Not unusual.”

“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.”