TWO HOTS AND A COT, YET PEARL BAILEY GOES AWOL

The summer would not be complete without an accounting of Pearl Bailey’s grand weekend escape.  When I say this dame took a powder, I mean she even left Ella behind.

The summer was preceding about as normal as it could be considering the lingering effects of Hurricane Debby.  We had our handyman at the house helping us with cleanup of our outside deck and pool area.  We were in and out quite a bit, and therefore so were the dogs.

Once the activity slowed and the quiet was restored, I noticed a whole lot of floor and no big blonde dog lounging about. I called to the Professor, “Where’s Pearl Bailey?” He was transfixed to the TV watching baseball, it was the bottom of the nineth, one out, bases loaded with the Washington Nationals down 2 runs, “Dunno’” he answered. Shortly thereafter, I began to freak out, “She’s gone!” The Professor quickly shook himself into action and was out the door in hot pursuit. First destination, the beach. When he got up there, it was reported that she had been there, that she took a swim, but it had been half hour earlier.

The Professor quickly realized she was nowhere in sight, so he headed over to the Bayou, a small snippet of water flowing from the Gulf waters through the Pass.  Once the Professor got up there, he got the same story, she had been there, she had been seen in the water and it had been some time since she left.  The Professor returned to the house frantic and by then my calls around the neighborhood had me in the same state. 

A deep discussion over the garden gate had us deciding to split up – he would take the car, I would stick with the neighborhood, post on social media and make some calls.  I went into the house to get the Professor’s phone for him and as I walked out to the garage to hand it to him there on the 2 x 2 foot stair landing sat a widely-grinning Pearl Bailey, dripping wet and stinking of scummy Bayou water. 

Now my grandma used to have a saying, “I don’t get to town often but when I do…woo hoo!”  And that was the thought that crossed my mind at that exact minute.  By the way, just for the record… it was dinner time.  I rest my case.