COOKIE JAR DEMISE

WELL, IT FINALLY HAPPENED. A COOKIE JAR HAS MET IT'S END. I HANDLED IT PRETTY WELL, AFTER ALL IT IS JUST A COOKIE JAR, RIGHT?
SEVERAL FACTORS LED UP TO THIS TRAGEDY. ONE, I WAS BABYSITTING MY GRANDSONS, TWO, I HAVE A CAT, THREE, I HAVE A DOG AND FOUR, I HAD THIS LOVELY COOKIE JAR ON THE KITCHEN TABLE. THIS IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER. THIS PARTICULAR COOKIE JAR WAS A BASKET OF FRUIT, AND MADE OF CERAMIC. IT WAS SO PERFECT FOR THE KITCHEN TABLE, AND IT WAS LOADED WITH OREO COOKIES. OF COURSE THEY WERE DOUBLE STUFF OREOS, AND AT LEAST I HAD THE SENSE TO BAG THEM FIRST IN A ZIP LOCK BAG BEFORE PUTTING THEM IN THE COOKIE JAR.
SO, I WAS CLEANING THE KITCHEN AND I HEARD THE CAT COME RUNNING AND LEAP UP ON THE TABLE (I HAVE TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT THIS IS INAPPROPRIATE BUT HE IS NOT GETTING IT). CLOSE ON HIS HEELS, CAME ROCKY THE GERMAN SHEPHERD, WHO IS NOW BIG ENOUGH TO EASILY REACH THE TOP OF THE COUNTER HEIGHT TABLE IF HE WANTS SOMETHING. WELL, HE WANTED THE CAT. I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT MARTIN HAD JUST BOUGHT A LOVELY TABLE CLOTH FOR THE TABLE, BUT IT WAS A SLIPPERY FABRIC AND I THOUGHT AT THE TIME THAT MAYBE IT WAS NOT SUCH A GOOD IDEA FOR A KITCHEN SUCH AS MINE. (MEANING THAT THERE IS NEVER A QUIET MOMENT IN THE KITCHEN, WITH CONSTANT MOVEMENT SOMEWHERE). SO, THE CAT HAS LEPT UP ON THE TABLE, THE DOG IN HOT PERSUIT. MY GRANDSON ELI, WAS HELPING HIMSELF TO A DOUBLE STUFFED DELIGHT AND WAS STARTLED BY THE CAT APPEARING SO SUDDENLY. ELI JUMPED BACK, THE CAT SLAMMED INTO THE OPEN COOKIE JAR, THE SLIPPERY TABLE CLOTH BEGAN TO SLIP AS THE DOG HAD HIS FRONT PAWS UP ON THE TABLE, LUNGING FOR THE CAT. WELL YOU GUESSED IT, THE TABLE CLOTH, CAT AND COOKIE JAR ALL SLIPPED OFF THE TABLE INTO A HEAP ON THE FLOOR. THIS ALL HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY, I HARDLY HAD ENOUGH TIME TO SCREAM, "NOOOO!". NOW THAT THE CAT IS ON THE FLOOR, THE DOG IS TRYING TO "PLAY" WITH HIM. HE IS HAVING NONE OF THAT, AND DARTS OFF THROUGH THE HOUSE, THE DOG IN HOT PERSUIT. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE COOKIE JAR LANDED ON A CUSHION OF TABLE CLOTH AND DID NOT BREAK! BUT, BEFORE I COULD GET TO IT, DARLING ELI DECIDED TO "HELP" ME AND GRABBED TWO HANDFULS OF TABLE CLOTH TO PUT IT BACK ON THE TABLE. NOW THE TRAGEDY HAPPENED. WHEN HE SNATCHED THE TABLECLOTH FROM THE FLOOR, THE POOR COOKIE JAR FLEW UP IN THE AIR AND LANDED WITH A CRASH, THE BAGGED OREOS AMIDST THE SHARDS OF CERAMIC FRUIT AND BASKET. IT WAS LESS THAN 10 FT FROM WHERE I WAS STANDING WHEN ALL OF THIS HAPPENED, BUT COULD I GET TO ANYTHING TO PREVENT THE BREAKAGE OF MY BEAUTIFUL COOKIE JAR? OF COURSE NOT. SO, NOW I AM STANDING PARILYZED AND STARING AT THE WRECKAGE, SERIOUSLY HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING. THEN, I REALIZED SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT. IT IS ONLY A COOKIE JAR. A FABULOUS COOKIE JAR, BUT ONLY A COOKIE JAR NEVERTHELESS. HOW DID I COME TO THIS CONCLUSION? THE STRICKEN LOOK OF HORROR ON ELI'S LITTLE FACE DID ME IN. "OH NANA, I AM SO SORRY!" HE CRIED. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, I PROMISE!" AND THEN, I REALIZED THE MEASURE OF THE NANA THAT I AM. I TOLD HIM THAT I KNEW IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, AND HE WAS NOT TO WORRY. ANYWAY, THE OREO'S WERE STILL SAFELY CLOSED IN A ZIP-LOCK BAG, SO THAT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. WE PICKED UP THE PIECES OF THAT COOKIE JAR, AND ELI HELD THE DUST PAN AS I SWEPT UP THE REST. (YES, IT TRULY SHATTERED!) ELI WAS VERY UPSET, AND KEPT ASKING ME IF I WAS MAD WITH HIM. I ASKED HIM IF I LOOKED ANGRY, AND HE SAID NO, BUT AFTER ALL, HE HAD BROKEN ON OF MY DEAR COOKIE JARS. I GOT OUT THE MILK, (SOY FOR ME) AND POURED TWO GLASSES. I PLACED SOME DOUBLE STUFFED OREOS ON A PLATE AND WE SAT DOWN TOGETHER. ELI CHEERED UP SOMEWHAT, AND THEN I TOLD HIM THAT ALL WAS NOT LOST, NOW I COULD GET BACK ON EBAY AND TRY TO REPLACE THE COOKIE JAR! (DO YOU REALLY NEED AN EXCUSE TO GET ON EBAY?) I TOLD HIM THAT THE BROKEN ONE WOULD BE OUR LITTLE SECRET, AND THE FAMILY WOULD NOT HAVE TO KNOW. WE ATE COOKIES AND LAUGHED AND MADE A MEMORY. NO COOKIE JAR IS WORTH RUINING SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO,YES, A COOKIE JAR MET IT'S DEMISE, BUT SOMETHING WONDERFUL CAME OF IT. ELI FOUND OUT YET AGAIN THAT I AM THE MOST WONDERFUL NANA IN THE WORLD! (AT LEAST I HOPE HE DID). AND, I HAD A MOST WONDERFUL AFTERNOON ON EBAY FINDING ANOTHER COOKIE JAR! (I DO LOVE COOKIE JARS!) LOVE, NANASEE