Afternoon Thunder

As I type this, I can hear thunder off in the distance, and every once in a while, I can see a streak of lightning. Guess we're in for a rainstorm, but right now, it's just drizzling outside.

At the first clap of thunder, Mickey Kitty ran under our bed...... AngelBoy jumped into my reading chair in the TV room.... and ShadowBaby is on my lap as I'm typing. Rusty, our outside cat, isn't troubled.... just before the first sound of thunder, he was sitting in front of his empty food dish. The world could be coming to an end, and all Rusty would care about is that his meal-time not be delayed.

ShadowBaby has gone back to being a "baby" cat since the arrival of Mickey Kitty.... which was over a year ago now. I don't think ShadowBaby was all that pleased to be giving up his status as the "baby cat" in this house. Now that Mickey Kitty holds that title, ShadowBaby continues to act like a kitten. Which is why he spends a lot of time in my lap, whether or not there's thunder.

Our young girls C and L came over for a visit on Saturday morning. C wisely waited till late morning, because she knew that I'd be out at the yard sales. Now that school has started again, both C and L are busy with classes and with Color Guard practice. Being that our own summer was busy with weekend adventures and vacation trips, we didn't get to see the girls every Saturday morning, as we had been. Sure is quiet here on a Saturday morning without them.... but when they're here, the breakfast room is filled with teenaged-girl chatter.

C and her parents will be driving to the cottage the next time we go up there. C had asked me a while back if she could invite friends to the lake, and I told her she could invite any of her friends that I had already met, but only one at a time. Her friend of choice this time will be her best friend M, who's a boy. Come to think of it, most of C's best friends are boys. The boys flock to C because she loves sports and isn't a prissy, picky-sort of girl. C and M spend hours talking on the phone, and they spend more hours playing board games.

M is the same age as C (15) and is already a gourmet cook. He watches cooking shows and home-decorating shows that feature kitchen make-overs. He's trying to decide whether he wants to be a professional chef or a kitchen designer. We've already tasted some of M's creations.... he bakes wonderful cookies and cakes, and C's mom says he can make a homemade pizza that's "to die for."

When they come up to Mayberry, M is planning to make breakfast for all of us. He has already done the grocery shopping for his breakfast treat of homemade cinnamon rolls. C tells me that M is an early riser, and will most likely wake up before dawn and he'll be in the kitchen starting his from-scratch recipe. Fine with me.... one of the "rules" of Mayberry is that anyone is welcome to cook in the kitchen.

Another rule of Mayberry is that young Miss C can't have anyone but a girl-friend sleeping in her cabin with her. So Master M will be spending the night in a sleeping bag on the floor of the game room. I imagine that both M and C will have their cell phones with them.... and if I know them as I think I do, they will be talking via their little phones till the wee hours of the morning. When C came up to the cottage the last time, she and M were talking on the phone way after midnight, M keeping C "company" as she decorated her little cabin.

The thunder is getting closer.... it has started to rain. I have to stop typing.... ShadowBaby is trying to get his head underneath my armpit, for goodness sake. And this has nothing to do with the thunder..... Mickey Kitty came into the room and saw ShadowBaby on my lap..... so ShadowBaby is being as dramatic as he can possibly be. Such a baby-cat, I swear.