The following are from notes taken from my preservation journal; they tell
about home life with the little pirate Mary in my all too brief home time
with her....take a minuet in leisure to read the best is to  download to
printer to read later...best Michael..
PS the boat is off Rhode Island ready to go...after 3 months away Im not sure
I am going to go....I will know in a week. in the meantime here is a reason
why... here is Bumpity bump


Bumpity-Bumpity-Bump
The rugged coastline of my hall way is littered with the floatsom of raid and
invasion by a dirty kneed rag - a - muffin
who sails by the door of my study in  lace diapered derrier flying the jolly
roger of mischief.
BumpityBumpity-Bump
Her immediate mission is  to  terrorize of the docile dogs Thelma and Louise
whose sleep is not to be ...
Bumpity Bumpity-Bump; with sleep not to be
The tiny raider pummels those knees  in quick unison and falls on the hapless
 mutts with squeals of delight mauling them with  little hands and  outbursts
of cheery bavado before coming away with   purloined handfulls of dog  hair;
and a sporting  a  well licked  hairdo .

Bumpity Bumpity -Bump.She makes way under full sail
.With the opposition neautralized to submissive groans .the tiny raider now
focuses on  the more pleasing  plunder pass the pilliars of Hercules The
screen porch.
Ahh ...the screen porch.!
Like mystical Alba
a raiders heaven..a tiny pirates paradise.
rich in  nocturnal bugs  laid still in the morning cold .
There is easy floor pickings to be had and a shmorgrasborg of still
sputtering  lunar moths.Not to mention miles of hidden .coastline under
stuffed chairs and  a gaudy chez lounge to gum on.
Yes the Porch !  if she could make that undetected she could adorn her self
with small potted plants and live freely among the dust bunnys while
ingesting  friskies from the cats bowl in an island paradise
...Yes Yes  On to the Porch!

Bumpty Bumpity Bump
and slam goes the screen door.
And just where is Daddy/
Where is the nations defence ? Daddy is asleep on the fainting couch Asleep
in the false security of his Maginot line  of blocking pillows and kitchen
pots..Asleep in his supiority  Asleep ..the big oaf is asleep  and the world
trembles
BUMPITY BUMPITY-BUMP
The tiny pirate wastes little time and sets to work  unleashing   her zeal
and zest on the soft targets by sinking the   friskie bowl and  spreading its
contents to the four corners...next after having a munch
she moves in on the the little potted plants  tumbling them over into islands
to trod over.and pull apart
..Drunk with victory now she is a moveable mess of camouflage friskie and
petunias...
Ahhh...but the porch holds bigger prizes . Her raiders  eye falls on
.the big watering bowl  and she clicks  her gums in  celebration of  the two
 new teeth that invisibly guide her.
She  heads out going Bupity Bumpity Bump
Capturing it could upset the whole balance of peace in the west wing
It could destabilize canine and feline relations ..and provide endless
theater of changing wet clothes into dry ones by Daddy;
 a goal surely worth the risks..
.yes a...a tiny raider could live well there....well indeed
Bumpity Bumpity -Bump- ramming speed
She makes her  break for it  in a sudden flurry of  quick bumpity bumps
 this time  clutching by one hand  her faithfull ally..the well washed  Fuzzy
Bunny.

. Intelligence knows Fuzzy Bunny by its   one blue  button eye.
 Infact anymore washings and the eye is  history...just a rattle in the dryer
cycle.
inteligence knows not where she picked up Fuzzy Bunny proably when she passed
laundry island but we are  not sure; it could have been toy box rock .
Bumpity Bumpity -Bump
Tiny raider  is scooting  at a good 10 knots in an around furniture and
nicely making way by  navigating through the  chair legs   wearing only one
sock.(yellow) reddening those pudgy knees with frighfull  abandon all the
while with fuzzy bunny
in tow.
Bumpity -bumpity -bump -bump..slam-bang
 she makes the open sea lanes of the wrap around porch and passes my radar
window as a fast moving shadow of no consequence.
 Intelligence is low this morning ....we had a briefing at 4:30 am over a
warm bop-bop(bottle) and quite frankly I am full of no coffee and  the sound
of the screen  door was picked up as  just one of the dogs nosing open the
door as usual.
No big deal...just a dog on the porch...I continue my snooze

Bumpity-bumpity -bump....bang ...crash!.( followed by .squeals of delight)
 This time all alarms are sounded....all bells  Full alert (sound) .ahh-oo-ga
---ahh-ooo-ga.! ..I scramble from my fainting couch to battle command and the
ships bridge.
An  aerial search reveals a trail of strewn tissue paper and portions of
dicarded friskies ;mixed with  potting soil heading  south into the deep
waters of the porch.
Still much to the raiders credit there is no visual contact made of either
her or her willing dupe Fuzzy Bunny....
The porch is  eerily quiet...sonar waits for the slightest move...the tension
is mounting...we luck out
 ...Sonar indicates an area of  happy gurggles punctuated with tiny rasberrys
 emmiting from the far porch end.
The rasberrys are paticulairly annoying to a seasoned hunter.They suggest the
intelligence and craftyness of the raider.
An all out  sweep search  is made of the stuffed chairs before targeting  the
chez lounge with the chintz cabbages  as the raiders submerged redoubt.
More rasberrys  indicate the raider is refueling perhaps with friskies as
Fuzzy Bunny appears briefly then darts under the back part of the
upolstery....
Then all is quiet ..
.it appears there will be a waiting game....
the hunter and the hunted...as moving the couch is too dangerous .
we are spellbound in silence..
If I go right she darts left .....if I go right.... she scoots  right.
..stand still I get the rasberrys....
I am  check-mated by a pretty pawn..

The porch appears serene ;It is a beautiful fall morning and the sunlight
dapples the chintz.under the turning gold and red leafs outside..
Time is running out..for the leafs and  for daddy..
."Peanut" I call ..".Peanut surrender now and things will go easy for
you"..I know  the DA....Surrender now and things will be just as before...I
promise...
Nothing doing .
A wee little head pokes out and makes eye contact with big blue eyes
....the game is up  Peanut...
....or is it?
No dice... there is a sudden forlorn look to the porch corner.right. and .the
position of the  couch prevents me from grabbing her.
"Peanut"!!!!
It's too late.... still clutching Fuzzy Bunny she makes mad dash for  one of
the most unattainable  prizes of the porch.... the 3 day old  pan with  the
tidy cat.litter.
.Now there is a prize calpable of bringing down life as we know it..
Its a race against time.
Should she reach it before me  and crown herself in it
it would not only throw the whole morning in chaos and turmoil ;
it would reduce Daddy in naval ratings of a swab and render him  persona non
grata  by the fleet admiral( Mommy)
There would be days of comunity service to atone for and  worse yet a general
reduction in rum ration.
Not Daddys cup of tea.
ITo make matters worse  the fleet admiral   has pulled into the driveway with
the joint chiefs of staff (the mother in law) in an un announced  visitation
of the fleet.
These are grave times with grave consequences.
There is precious few seconds to act before your name is mud.
Despert; Daddy's mind races as  immediate action is called for
 Bumpity bumpity bumpity bump bump...
She passes the water bowl ; whew (thank=you Jesus) and bee lines it
the little pirate has the jump on Daddy  and is scooting down the porch wall
like there is no tommorow.....Daddy who fears that  no tommorow will be what
he will face  should she make the litter pan..quickly recalls his nimbleness
as a  high school infielder  and high steps it in double time to just catch
the pudgy legged pirate with outstreached hand on the pan.
 It was a briillant piece of foot work worthy of the world series
In one fell swoop Daddy caught both pan and pirate on the fly just in time to
waltz her out the screen door; dump the pan in the trash; then  turn , dust
her off and greet the morning visit with breathless apolmb while shouldering
his prettty  prize in wiggling wonderment. The fleet admiral and joint chiefs
were pleased by the giddy reception and took the rascal under wing with
praise for Daddy and his diligence .Until next time ..Michael...all rts 2000.