Vern Sees Dead People!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Last night on our nightly trek outside, Vern spooked me.  I had lots of company over the Easter holiday week, including our grandson, and his little portable crib is still up. No big deal, right?....unless, of course, my very large dog keeps stopping at night to look in the crib.  I wouldn’t care that he stops, despite the fact that I have rear-ended him once or twice, but he gets so excited as he looks into the empty crib and wags his tail and carries on like he sees something that I don’t. This is the part that creeps me out.

 

I like scary movies. I don’t know why, because I get very scared, spend a great deal of time grabbing the person next to me, and covering my eyes and ears and pleading with my date to tell me when I can look again.  The last scary movie I went to with my nephew, Jeremy, was The Conjuring and it took me a month before I could stand the sound of hands clapping.  It began with this horrible doll doing horrible things and of course, ended like it is just a matter of time before the horrible doll starts trouble again.  I like Criminal Minds, even though one episode in a campground bathroom still keeps me vigilant when I am in a public bathroom alone. Don’t get me started on Jaws. After that movie, I didn’t even like swimming in a lake and never fully appreciated John’s attempts at humor when he would come up behind me humming the “shark is getting ready to attack” song.

 

Even now, when I am on our beach vacation in North Carolina, I love the ocean, but I try and stay within a group of people in the water figuring my odds of surviving a shark attack are better if he has a greater selection to choose from amongst his human smorgasbord.  At the very least, I could push some unsuspecting person into the shark’s jaws as I swam for shore. There would be no newspaper story the next day proclaiming me a hero as I valiantly fought off a shark to save a member of my family, because I would be the person careening through the other swimmers in a mad dash for shore, shouting, “Get out of my way. I want to live!” I once told all my nieces and nephews my survival theory and now they consistently try and put me on an end when we are all in the water together.  I guess they think the shark will start with the first person he sees and since I am betting there is a lot to see of me under water, it seems like a reasonable plan to all, but me. I am also learning to be more guarded with my survival secrets. 

 

On occasion I have had the dogs growl at nothing and Vern barks at my neighbors every single time he sees them.  Sometimes, I think he may need glasses and I even warn house guests to identify themselves to Vern if they get up in the middle of the night.  My Uncle Bob got up at 1 am to eat a bowl of cereal once and came up from the basement looking like a crazy man with wild hair and boxer shots. Vern, understandably, unable to visually confirm that this was the same conservatively dressed man who usually sat in a chair in the living room watching Fox News, went wild.  Seriously, it woke the whole household and I was sure whatever was out there had come to kill us all, so of course, I suggested John be the one to investigate. When he came back alive and told me it was just Uncle Bob eating cereal, I couldn’t help but wonder what Vern would do if both my Uncle and Aunt had come up for a nightly snack.  I really think Vern is just being proactive and hedging all bets that sooner or later one of these times he barks it really is going to be for something important.  I tell him all the time he is my best watchdog, because to tell him he may need a refresher course in danger, seems mean.

 

Vern also doesn’t like things to be different. He doesn’t like his bed moved, or his toys put away, or someone sitting on his dog bed. When I mop the floor and move his beds, I can tell he is worried and just wants me to put everything back where it belongs. When the Frenchies are here and have the audacity to sleep on one of Vern’s beds, he will dig and roll on his Koolaroo bed until he calms himself down. He is far too polite to ask them to leave, but not so polite as to stop digging so we can hear the TV.  It makes sense to me that Vern would stop and take note of the crib since it is slightly in his way as he makes his way to the door and it deviates from his memorized floor plan, but what doesn’t make sense to me is that Vern stops, wags his tails, and stands there like he is greeting someone.  One night found me telling him over and over, “Vern, Archer is not here,” and moving the clean blanket in the crib to make a point.  When he continued to bounce around and peer over the top of the crib, it spooked me, and I have now convinced myself that Vern sees dead people, or at the very least, little spirits camping out in Archer’s crib.

 

He did it again last night and this weekend, we are putting that pack n’play crib back in the box because I am tired of trying to convince Vern and myself that nothing is there.  I am hoping that puts an end to this nonsense and the whole thing was all about Vern’s OCD when things are out of place.  If not, and I go downstairs and find the crib mysteriously set back up, we are getting a priest in here before Vern’s head starts to spin and I have to clean up green vomit.  That’s another movie that scared me. 

[Donna K & Quincy]

I too am sure Vern is just wagging at happy memories. Dogs do have a way of creeping you out sometimes when they stand and stare at nothing. Quincy does it to me all the time when we're out walking in wooded areas. If I were you I'd keep a vial of holy water, garlic, a wooden cross and a silver bullet on me at all times and if you go in the ocean wear one of these. The first scary movie I saw was the Exorcist and I slept with the lights on for a full month after. If Vern's bark starts to sound like redrum, redrum you might want to call a priest. Of course my favorite line from the movie can't be repeated here but it had to do with mother and what she was doing in hell. I was seventeen and very naive when I saw that movie and I was a little shocked by that line, maybe that's why it's stuck with me, at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :>)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Oh that is so funny and sweet! I agree with Karen that it is the memory of Archer that gives Vern the wags. :) Although....LOL

I had to give up scary movies years ago. They just terrify me, well I guess that's the point right? When I saw the Exorcist way back when it was a double feature with Don't Look Now. The latter being the one that scared me out of scary movies forever! I still run every time I see a child in a red coat!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

So sweet that the doods love Archer!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Karen, I like your explanation and it is indeed plausible. Vern loves Archer. Poor Archer has to put up with constant kisses from Vern. We are monitoring the pawing closely, because Vern loves to put his paw up in his direction and since his paw is the size of a hockey puck we are discouraging this practice. If Archer is around, Vern can be found right next to him. Fudge loves him too. The only one afraid of him is Jazz. Thank you for your explanation :)

Carol, I love the ocean so much, that I have to just tell myself it was just a movie. LOL However, I had just finished swimming once in NC and the nieces and nephews ran home to tell me a fisherman had just caught a four foot shark where we had been at.....oh my. I am telling myself they were just trying to scare me. LOL

Thanks, F. I have been working on two blogs. The other one will follow at some point. I guess I am a glutton for punishment :) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What I love about this blog is the image of Vern looking at the crib and wagging his tail. I think that speaks volumes about his feelings for Archer. I don't think he's seeing spirits, I think that the sight of the crib reminds him of the baby, and the thought of the baby makes him so happy, he can't help wagging. 

I also hate scary movies, so I may just be rationalizing, but you have to admit it's a nice idea. :)

[Carol and Banjo]

Jaws had a lifetime effect on me as well Laurie.   Heaven forbid if a bit of seaweed brushed against my leg....I think I'd just keel over dead from fright.        When my DD and SIL stay for a few days, Banjo will stand at their bedroom door looking as if to say...."if I stare long enough, I know they will re-appear".   Eventually, he gets over it.      Vern, I love you!

[F, Calla & Luca]

BTW, we needed a good blog :-)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I never watch scary movies on purpose but sometimes I get surprised by a movie and the memories do haunt me. I don't even like going in the ocean much if truth be told. In short I sympathize but I don't understand purposely exposing yourself over and over. Stick with the Hallmark movies and pack up the crib :-)