Tumbles and Peaches WC:299

Peaches and Tumbles
WC: 299

Santa would be coming in two days. The kids were over the moon. I was, too, because Santa was leaving a Black and Decker sheet sander under the tree for me.

We decorated the tree while we drank hot chocolate and sampled the snickerdoodles my wife, Bonnie, made for her cookie exchange. I lifted our youngest son, Joey, so he could put the angel ornament on top.

I plugged in the lights.

“Honey, that is so pretty,” Bonnie said.

Everybody clapped and cheered.

I heard toenails clicking on hardwood. Tumbles is declawed. That meant Peaches had gotten out of her cage and was heading down the hall.

I forgot to mention that we have a crazy cat named Tumbles, and a dog (a one-month-old puppy) named Peaches, a Golden Doodle. Peaches does not understand cats yet, not that anybody does.

I yelled, “Who let Peaches out?”

First, I saw the cat come around the corner at full speed, then I saw Peaches, right on Tumbles’ tail. The cat went airborne into the tree; Peaches followed. Then they were out of the tree and heading for the kitchen.

It all happened so fast! All eyes were glued to the tree, waiting for it to topple over. It swayed and then stopped. The angel ornament was crooked, but that was an easy fix.

After the kids were in bed, Bonnie and I were working in the kitchen when we heard a “crash” coming from the living room.

The tree was on its side; ornaments and lights were everywhere. Peaches was asleep in her cage; Tumbles was nowhere in sight.

We put everything back together and went to bed.

We never figured out why the tree tipped over (Ghosts? Earth tremors?), but it does give me a story to tell every year.