9.19.2018

September 19, 2018

White Dog subtly backed out of the room.

"Whatcha got, there,Opal?" I asked my Sparkling Girl who just came in from the yard. She tried to turn her back and hide what she was chewing upon.

Opal is known to indulge in pretty disgusting stuff she finds blown over the fence and enjoys a poop snack every now and again. But NOT IN THE HOUSE is my rule; what I can't see...goes the saying.

I figured this was as good a time as any to seriously practice "Bring It" with My Girl. I put on the Momma tone and gave the command. She looked at me and turned away. "NOW! Bring IT!" I repeated. Opal was conflicted. She always wants my approval but whatever she had was so irresistible. She looked at me for a long moment, then slunk over with whatever it was tightly locked behind her teeth.

Then we began the "Drop It" portion of drill. She knew by then that she was not going to win and whatever it was was too big to swallow.

She dropped it at my feet. "Good Girl!" followed by "Opal this is a Wasp NEST!" As I scrambled to encapsulate it lest it be active. My empty coffee mug fit over the architecture perfectly. I did not see any wasps but dared not risk the chance that Opal had been stung inside her mouth.

She was NOT happy as I held her between my legs, one hand on her collar to keep her from bolting and probing her gums and tongue with the fingers of my other. All of this while trying to push away a curious White Dog Army interested in our game AND why the coffee mug was on the floor.

She was fine. I whispered a prayer of thanks to the Universe.

I opened the cart next to me and found an old greeting card from Steve. "Hope you don't mind, honey," I muttered as I slid the card under the mug so that I could upright it. Holding the card in place I carried it to the bathroom and placed it in the tub where I weighted down the card with a bar of soap to await Steve and his ability to help deal with it. No one could bother it there.

Opal was proud to show dad her "find"when he returned from work and all followed him to the yard where he set the cup down and flipped off the card. Nothing. He turned on the hose and sprayed until the mug was full. Still nothing.

Everyone came in carrying the apricot sized nest which Steve had cut open with the trowel. It WAS beautiful and looked as though it had been deserted for a time.

"Sweet Opal," I hugged her in momma-relief. "You could have been hurt! PLEASE do not eat things if you are not sure they are food." And to Steve, "In the morning check around the house to make sure they have not just moved somewhere else."

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