Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Do you believe in Animal Magic?

After this past weekend – I do. Allow me to give you all the facts and then see if you don’t agree.

Both our daughters are grown and our “grandbaby” is already seven years old. With everyone’s hectic schedules, we rarely have the opportunity to be together at the same time and we’ve become increasingly aware of how quickly the years slip by. So Hubby and I decided to take a couple of days off and enjoy a lovely mini-vacation with our girls. We’re lucky enough to live fairly close to Santa Claus, Indiana and we’ve always enjoyed our visits to Holiday World. It’s a nice clean family theme park complete with not only the usual delightful rides but also a water park and even more convenient: an air-conditioned kennel for the family pet.

What could be better than taking a couple of vacation days off from work, loading up the camper and heading to Indiana for a long weekend filled with fun?

Well. Apparently, Jasper decided otherwise. You see. He overheard us discussing the air-conditioned kennel at the park. I admit it. We don’t consider Jasper a dog…and he doesn’t consider himself a dog either. He’s one of the family, holding the same rank as the kids – although, they’ll be the first to tell you that Jasper rates higher than anyone.

We didn’t want to leave Jasper cooped up in the camper while we spent Saturday and Sunday at the park. So Hubby called Holiday World and got a complete rundown about the kennel because we also weren’t about to entrust dear Jasper to just any old establishment. After considerable checking and reassurance from the park’s staff, we decided we’d give it a try – with the understanding that if we arrived and it didn’t look to be up to Jasper’s standards, then he and I would go back to the camper. Jasper and I both are old and set in our ways. He hates to be left alone and I’m loathe to put him through it unless I’m positive he’ll be okay. I know. I’m hopeless. But he loves me anyway.

Bear with me. I’m getting to the part about the magic.

We arrived at the campground safe and sound on Friday night, a little concerned because the forecast mentioned a slight possibility of rain on Saturday, but surely it wouldn’t storm all day and it was supposed to be sunny on Sunday. It would be a great weekend enjoying all the rides.

Wrong. Intermittent thunderstorms is code for: rains and blows like hell all day long. No theme park on Saturday. We would’ve drowned.

While playing Yahtzee in the camper, I teased everyone stating that Jasper had dodged the “kennel” bullet on Saturday by conjuring up the storm. One of my daughters laughed, shook her finger at Jasper and told him he was still going to go to “jail” on Sunday because we were going to the park!

She shouldn’t have done that.

Sunday morning at about 6 a.m., a fierce storm blew through the campground, uprooted two trees and knocked out all the power in the area. Yep. Jasper used extra fairy dust on that one. How dare we threaten him with a kennel! The deluge continued throughout the morning. We admitted defeat and folded up camp BEFORE Jasper obliterated the place off the face of the earth. I figure we packed up at least twenty pounds of Indiana mud and brought it back to Kentucky.

Needless to say, we didn’t visit Holiday World this weekend and Jasper “missed out” on the promise of an air-conditioned kennel. I’m also pretty sure I heard him snicker as we left the campground and turned our rig toward home.

He did see fit to allow us to visit the local water park on Monday while he slept at home on the couch. I guess all that conjuring wore him out. And he is pretty fond of the grandbaby so, he didn’t want her to suffer for the grown-up’s error in judgment.

So what do you think? Was it coincidence that it stormed and Jasper escaped the kennel or did he conjure up his own idea of a perfect weekend: his damp little body snuggled against mine for three solid days?

27 comments:

  1. Too funny! I love this story. So the moral is never threaten Jasper with doggie jail, huh.

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  2. Oh, Jasper. You need a role in Maeve's next book...

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  3. Absolutely, Penny! We'll NEVER mention the "k" word in this house EVER again.

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  4. LOL, Sarah! Jasper said the very same thing just the other day. I hope he doesn't try to "coerce" me with magic. ;-)

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  5. Jasper, Jasper, Jasper... I bet he smiled the whole way home.

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  6. Aww... sounds like inspiration for a new book! :)

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  7. Oh what a great story, Maeve!! I think Jasper is magical!

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  8. Too funny!! What a sweet looking dog-guess looks can be deceiving, eh? I mean, he's not really a dog. :)

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  9. He DID seem extremely pleased with himself on the way home, Victoria!

    Jasper has hinted SEVERAL times that he'd like his own story, Karen! ;-)

    Absolutely, Kate & Nicole! He's most definitely magical. :-)

    Jasper nodded in agreement with you, Michelle. ;-)

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  10. Hiasbis ydy yn wir hychydig chythraul...
    :)

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  11. and by the way, that comment was from Idris, not me!

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  12. How cute! You write a full length story with Jasper.

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  13. Jasper has special powers only other animals can understand. Just like a family member who prays for something to happen, he had his "way" of making sure "no kennel for him"!
    Nice blog.

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  14. HA, Michael! Tell Idris that I said Jasper is NOT a little demon. He's just a tad spoiled. Or as Idris would say, "Jasper yn unig yw ychydig ddifetha!" ;)

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  15. Thank you, Marianne! You are so right. :-)

    And Sandy - Jasper has been "hinting" that he'd LOVE his own story. *sigh* He is such a spoiled baby!

    :-)

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  16. Jasper has such a sweet face, Maeve. Great story!

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  17. I loved this - LOL - very cute story! Magic? Maybe.

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  18. Hey, I'm a believer. A mini-dog with a conjuring claw and a death-ray whisker...oh, the wheels are spinning.

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  19. I'm a believer! We left daughter's dog with my niece when we moved to care for fil last week. This week Dottie is back with us. The magic? When my youngest dd first saw Dottie as a three week old puppy my hubby said no, absolutely no way could she have her. A week later the mother dog was poisoned and Dottie came to us the next day- via hubby. Now we leave her behind and she, again, cons hubby into taking her home a week later. She can't live with dd so she depends on us (hubby and I) to keep and care for her. Every time he says no about her going/staying with us- she ends up here. It always seems to take the allotted week to convince hubby otherwise. lol

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  20. I think Jasper would very much like a staring role in your next book, or there will be consequences.

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  21. LOL!~I'm afraid you might be right, Janice.

    Isn't it funny the control they have over us, Calisa? And we think THEY'RE the pets. ;-)

    Thanks, Dawn! I'm glad you're a believer too. :)

    HA!! Don't give him anymore ideas, Vonnie! He's an unrepentant rascal as it is.

    I bet your furry friend does magic too, Patsy. ;-)

    Don't let Jasper's sweet face fool you, Gerri! ;-)

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  22. Of course he knew. They're clairvoyant, telepathic and darned good nurses. My hound, Delilah, apparently tried to climb my page wire fence, probably in pursuit of visiting deer. She ended up breaking two toes and ripping two toenails so badly they had to be surgically removed. She was in bandages for a while. But when they were taken off I found her lying on her side on her dog bed with the worst-affected foot held high in the air while my Labrador (not ordinarily the most affectionate with her) cleaned the wound, very patiently and for a long time. They never cease to amaze me.

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  23. Awww...I think we can all learn a LOT from animals, Miriam. If we all exhibited just a fraction of the patience they show, I think the world would be a better place. :-)

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  24. Maeve I meant to respond to this the other day, got busy and it slipped my mind. This post cracked me up. Your Jasper is so cute I have no doubt he could command the heavens! I personally have never owned a dog. I've always BEEN owned by mine. lol

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  25. LOL! Well said, Joanne! Well said indeed! :-)

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