1 Mother 2 Another

I taught all morning yesterday while the
girls stayed home with Gamma, and when I returned just in time for
lunch I opened the door into my kitchen –


And found a puppy barking on my floor.


No, not a real puppy. Don’t panic.

Giant pillows were set up on the floor,
and Maddie was curled up on them, barking excitedly. She was
dressed all in brown, with her hair in pig tails, a big brown spot
drawn over one eye, and a brown nose. She yipped and scurried
around my feet excitedly as I tried to interpret her barks.


“Is there another puppy in the house?” I asked the
“dog”.


Affirmative yips.


“Is that puppy also downstairs?”


Negative yips.


I walked to the stairs and called up, “Here, puppy puppy!
C’mere, little puppy!”


And peering through the banister was Cora, her hair adorably up in
poufy little pig tails, also dressed in brown, and her face covered
with freckle-like dots.


Cora scampered downstairs and both “puppies” leapt all
over me. My mother appeared at the top of the stairs and said
dryly, “All. Morning. Long.”


Do you see why my mom ROCKS? How many babysitters would have
instigated/put up with this? And helped them with their makeup?


The girls were puppies all day long, playing contentedly together
the entire time. They had water bowls and food bowls on the floor
– filled with strawberries – and Maddie would
periodically pick up her empty strawberry bowl, carry it to me in
her mouth, and whine for more.


We headed to the pool after lunch and the girls insisted I walk
them on a leash, tying a scarf around a hand and holding it as we
walked. After dinner they put on a Dog Show, howling and yipping
and dancing together for the adults. When they finally scampered
obediently to bed they were both still delighted with themselves
and each other.


These are the good days.