Part 24 ~ The Adventures of King Ben & Zeus the Big Dumb Dog

If you missed the start of this series, you can find it here. A lot of things will be the same or very similar.

Another night of dreams unrembered, but intense enough for me to escape them by waking up. I’m always shaky, jittery and confused when I force myself awake like that. I usually enjoy my vivid dreams, but there’s too much disturbance in the ether, or The Force if you prefer.

The good news is that Rory’s “Stars” are still magical! Whenever he gifts me with a Good Morning Star, something good happens. Today’s good thing was Daughter getting up with Ben. He still came in my room a bunch of times (once he was trying to jump rope on my hollow bedroom floor) but I didn’t properly wake up until the unimaginable time of 8:30AM! I had to look several times to verify the time. I even checked my tablet just to make sure my phone wasn’t being wonky. EIGHT FREAKIN THIRTY …it’s a Rory Star Miracle!

I tried to stay very quiet because I knew as soon as the family knew I was awake, I’d get pounced. A sneeze betrayed me just before 9:00AM, and Daughter yelled “Are you awake?” Of course I yelled back “NO!”, but she didn’t believe me and came into my room.

She was very excited about finding a grocery delivery slot on Thor’sDay at 8PM. She reviewed her list of groceries and asked what I wanted to add. I added a couple of things I knew were on the list we keep by the fridge (if she had looked) and she completed the order. She got a bunch of stuff we dont normally buy. I guess she’s planning for the apocalypse? Luckily they aren’t perishable things and they’re things we actually like. Still no TP though.

I’ll still have to make a trip out when the rest of Ben’s meds are ready, but at least I won’t have to do the awkward Social Distancing Do-Si-Do, looking for stuff on my list.

After she left, Ben came to Bounce me. Having done his duty, he departed. Well alrighty then…

I figured I might as well get up. I needed to use the bathroom anyway. Sven was still covered, so I turned his lights on, uncovered him and talked to him until he opened his eye to give me the Go Away stare. He’s still hiding in his house.

Nature’s Call answered, I got my coffee and went back to my room. Followed as always by Zeus, with Ben joining too. Ben likes to sit right up against me. The way he was sitting, he had his elbow right in my neck. I kept trying to gently scootch him over, but he wasn’t getting the message. I finally heaved myself half onto him, which he didn’t like, and he moved.  Ah, the small dramas we enact…

I asked Ben about his Easter Basket, trying to get him to tell me about it. But he ignored me. I (vaguely) heard him when he discovered it earlier, so I knew he liked it. A PJ Masks pre-made basket that I, I mean the Easter Bunny, had added a couple Kit Kats and Reese’s to.

CatBoy is his favorite. We didnt color eggs this year. We have 6 that are already hardboiled in the fridge, but 6 wouldn’t have been enough for Ben. Once he gets started with the egg coloring he’d happily color 2 or 3 dozen. That would be irresponsible IF I could even find that many. The corner market has a contract with a local farm, so getting eggs hasn’t been a problem, but still…

Around 11:30 Ben and Zeus were goofing off in my room, bedquakes aplenty, when Ben’s tablet battery died. I gave him my tablet and took his to his room to charge. I also took the portable battery and plugged it in by Sven’s terrarium. I was surprised by this

He’s awake! Maybe it wasn’t brumation, maybe it was just a mood. I got him some fresh food and talked to him for a few minutes. I also pulled a piece of skin that was hanging on his throat/beard off. He wasn’t overly pleased with that part.  But, YAY! Sven is okay.

When I got back to my room, Ben had gotten under the blankets, pulled them over his head, and apparently put his earbuds in because it was quiet. More YAY!

It stayed relatively quiet until about 1:30 when Ben said (say it with me now) “Gramma come living room!” (Daughter had gone to her room earlier because Ben was hanging out in my room. No need for Living Room Duty) So I started getting myself off the bed, grabbing my stuff and slowly moving in that direction. He came to the door twice to make sure I was coming… Impatient meets Slow.

Immediately he wanted me to repair a few of his castles/towers/whatchamawhosits. Dogzilla had ravaged the town again. Tape in hand, I repaired what needed repairing and even built a new one. Ben got everything placed just so, then Daughter came out to give him his meds (at 2:00? a half hour early? okay…) and Dogzilla’s tail reduced the town to rubble once again. Luckily no one was injured, and the buildings just fell over. No more tape needed.

At 3:30PM  Daughter came out to take over Living Room Duty and to receive a fast food delivery. She was being all kinds of grumpy, so I asked her what was going on. It took some back and forth (it always does) but she finally said she hasn’t had one day in the last 12 years where she could just do what she wants and chill, not worry about anything. She keeps saying that this time off is supposed to be my break, that’s why she took the time off. I told her that she requested the time off to be after Ben would’ve been back at school, but whatever. If she needs a break so bad, go back to her room. Ben and I were fine. She told me she can’t do that without feeling guilty. There’s nothing I can do about her guilty conscious. I wanted to tell her to quit whining, Ben spends most of his time with me while she watches movies or whatever, but I didn’t. No point. She feels how she feels.

I went back to my room and Ben soon followed. We were each doing our thing when my phone rang. Uh-oh…my mother! I answered. She’s fine. She just wanted to chat. Ugh! I won’t go into it all here except to say even before the lockdown I rarely saw my mother. She lives 1 mile away from me. It’s not acrimonious, it’s just not good.

We talked for a while. She passive-aggressively complained about this, that, and everything. I noticed Ben being really quiet. He’d fallen asleep. It was 4:15. Too late for a nap, too early for bed, so I woke him up. I had to get off the phone to do it (darn) but I got him to wake up and not be grumpy. He went out in the living room with his Mama for a few minutes, then came back to my room with me.

Suddenly I heard snoring. I looked over at Ben, but he was still awake. I shook the dog, but the snoring continued. I figured out that it was Daughter and I could hear her from my room! I let her grumpy ass continue to saw logs. Ben and I were fine.

I’m gonna leave you with another picture of Sven. He looks like he had a rough night that he can’t quite remember.

Take care of yourselves, I’ll meet you here tomorrow. There’s always something happening at Casa Cuckoo…