(Posted for your pleasure through the month of February)
I recently decided it was time that we had the DVD versions of the Toy Story and Bug's Life movies. We've had the original VHS versions since they came out.
Logging onto Amazon.com, I perused their new and used DVD inventories and ended up buying new ones. I threw in the DVD version of The Day The Earth Stood Still too. As soon as they arrived by mail, we watched them over the course of a week. Yes, there is a big difference in the quality of the picture.
That was a couple of weeks ago.
I had just gotten back from my usual early morning run to Walmart for groceries and had walked from the garage into the mud room. That's when I heard a knocking sound coming from one of the cabinets that line the walls. These are filled with craft supplies, some of Merle's radio controlled paraphernalia, games and mostly assorted knick knacks that used to be displayed, but for which we no longer have space.
Sitting the grocery bag on the kitchen counter, I went back to the mud room and turned on the light. The sound, something between a softish thud and a sort of scrabbling noise, emanated from the most far left cabinet. I slowly moved forward. Not only was there a sound, but with each thud, the cabinet door moved slightly outward and then closed again. By this time, I was wondering if the oatmeal I had for breakfast contained hallucinatory properties. But no, the noise was definitely there and the door was definitely moving with each thud. Suddenly, as the cabinet thudded open again, I was more than shocked to see this.
.....and they were moving. I quickly reached over and opened the door to find this.
Buckshot took one more fierce kick at the door and just missed hitting my fingers. Those hooves might be padded, but they could do some damage, the inside edge of the cabinet door had slight indentations on it.
"OK, enough with the kicking now," I said as I examined the door edge. Buckshot sat up and turned around. In the process, he bumped into the little toy Singer sewing machine.
"Hey, watch out, you big Galumph!" Singer said in a sort of sing-song voice (imagine that).
And all of this time, we've thought those sounds were our furnace..............
Buckshot snorted.
"Hey, Woody," I said as I petted Buckshot.
"Hey." He sat up and stretched.
"So, what's up, guys?" I suddenly realized I was talking to toy creatures with stuffing. I guess there are weirder things in life........
Buckshot turned and looked at Woody.
"Well," said Woody, "Me and Buckshot here heard you playing our movie the other night and we discussed it and decided that we wanted to see it bad enough to raise a ruckus."
"Is that so?" I tried to convey consternation, remembering all of those nights when I had been awake listening to what were now apparently knick knack patty whack partying sounds and thinking my furnace would need to be replaced shortly."Yeah, that's so." Woody and Buckshot would have none of it. They were tired of being in the cabinet, tired of no sunshine and tired of not getting to watch movies.
"Well then, I guess we should maybe do something about that." I grabbed them both although Buckshot started to wiggle and I almost dropped him, sat them on the breakfast counter, got the DVD and started it. I didn't have any popcorn, but gave them each some Raisinets from our candy stash. Buckshot proceeded to eat them all, much to Woody's disgust.
"Now you'll have gas all night."
I promised them they could watch the other Toy Story in the next couple of days if they would just keep the noise down.
