“Lucy. You want to play ball?”

“Gee, I was just getting ready for a sunbath.”

“But that little stip of the sun will be bigger later. The ball’s behind you.”

“Still nice and warm out here.”

“Take a turn with the ball.”

“Okay, I’ll toss it.”

“Did you toss it? I don’t see it.”

“It went maybe half an inch. It’s hard to toss with my mouth.”

“For heaven’s sake. I guess we need Dad for a game of ball.”

“I would say so. Go inside and see if he can come out. Meanwhile, I’ll wait here.”

“Hey, do you hear that?”

“I heard his hoof noises. Did you see that spider?”

“Not from over there. Let me look closer.”

“He was right here.”

“Yeah, sure, Twiggy. I think you were seeing and hearing things.”

“I can still smell him.”

“I think he took off over the fence.”

“Okay, so we don’t have a spider to play with. What’s next?”

“Let’s try another ball.”

“That one is much like the first.”

“You’re telling me? Let’s go find Dad.”

“What are you going to say?”

“We need to play ball, and we need someone with an opposable thumb to throw it.”

“Will he know what opposable means?”

“He’s a writer. He can always look it up if he’s stumped.”

“Good deal.”

“Lucy. Do you see what I see?”

“I do, Little One. Looks like a monster truck to me.”

“You are right. What the heck is it doing here?”

“Looks like they are going to plant the Boss’s  birthday tree.”

“It is about time. Do they know what they are doing?”

“Yup. Mom went out there and gave them their instructions.”

“Why are they digging so much. The hole was already done.”

“The tree needed to have the best side out. That means making a diagonal hole out of a square.”

“Come see this, Lucy.”

“Coming.”

“It looks great, doesn’t it?”

“It sure does.”

“I have to wonder where those guys went.”

“Why? You think they’ll come back, Lucy?”

“You never know. Sometimes they do.”

“Why would they come back?”

“What if they dropped off the wrong tree.”

“You think Mom would allow that?”

“I suppose you are right. Looks like this may be here a while.”

“So we can relax and enjoy the tree?”

“I would say that is the perfect thing to do. After all, it marks the Boss’s eightieth birthday.”

“How much is that in dog years?”

“About eleven.”

“Woo wee. He’s got some mileage.”

“Keep that on the down-low, Little One.”

“What the heck is all this mess?”

“I don’t know, Little One, but I suspect the Boss has been watching a do-it-yourself video.”

“This trench is all filled with water. That can’t be right.”

“I would agree. Where is the Boss anyway?”

“I don’t know, but it looks like a lot of dirt that needs putting back.”

“I suspect the Boss dug that out of the trench.”

“Hey, Dad. What’s up with the skinny swimming hole?”

“That is a trench for the downspout extension, Twiggy. That black hose will be connected to carry the water away.”

“Why the extensions?”

“We are getting ready for some new turf, Twiggy. Artificial turf, so the nightmare of the lawn will be over.”

“OOOOkay, but I suspect something went awry here.”

“You are brilliant. After I dug the trench and before I could connect the hose, a downpour came and filled the trench with water.”

“Can we play in it? Hey, I think I see something.”

“No, it is muddy water, and you don’t want to get dirty. What you see is probably your reflection.”

“I know my reflection, and I also know I don’t have a dorsal fin.”

“Wait, a minute, Little One. Let me see that.”

“There. Right there. Did you see it move?”

“I hate to say this, Twiggy, but I hear the themes music from Jaws in my head.”

“Lucy, wait for me. Why’d you run off?”

“I figured whatever was in there would like an appetizer before the main course.”

“That’s pretty funny.”

“I can see you have some concerns, Little One.”

“I have been thinking of that olive tree that got frozen this winter.”

“What about it?”

“Sometimes these things come back.”

“But the boss already got a new magnolia to go in that spot.”

“Look. Just as I figured. Little green shoots.”

“You sure you aren’t seeing things?”

“No. Over there I’m seeing things but not on the tree.”

“I’ll be darned. You are right. The tree is alive.”

“What do we do about it?”

“I guess we should let the boss know that the olive still lives.”

“Good idea. Of course, what do you think he will do?”

“The man won’t even kill an ant, so I think he will want to do something.”

“I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.”

“Here he comes. Let me handle this.”

“You are way better at breaking news, Lucy.”

“Hey, Dad. This olive tree is still alive. What are you going to do about it?”

“Cheese, Twiggy.”

“Thank you, Twiggy. I know that and we are trying to figure out a place for it.”

“What happened to me handling it?”

“You know me. Impulsive to a fault.”

“I guess he already has the situation under advisement.”

“Yeah, and he knew about the olive too.”

“What are you doing, little one?”

“I’m wondering if we should play ball.”

“I don’t know. The grass is pretty wet from the rain.”

“Yeah, but we can still play.”

“You better check out this grass. I know how you hate to get a wet ball.”

“It doesn’t feel that wet to me.”

“Well, stand there a while and let the water seep into your paws. Then tell me.”

“There sure is no sun, so we might as well make the best of it.”

“I’m walking away, so you’ll have to speak up.”

“Oh, look in the sky. I think it’s an eagle.”

“Get on the porch then.”

“It’s a vulture. He won’t bother you.”

“You sure? I don’t feel like being picked on.”

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that vulture spooked you.”

“Nope, just keeping up with my exercise program.”

“There is one more thing to watch out for. A spider.”

“Yikes. I don’t even like the looks of him.”

“They are good things to have. They eat insects.”

“You have to walk carefully around them for sure. Insects? Yuk.”

“So the final final on the ball game?”

“All this talk about eating makes me want a snack. Let’s pass on ball and go for food.”

“Who was talking about eating? I just mentioned the diet of spiders.”

“Did you mention the word, ‘eat?'”

“Yes. . . Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

“Just beat on the door. You are bigger.”