Polar Dip and Unwanted Trip

Okay, so here’s the deal. People are giving me a bad rap. Or rep. I’m not sure. Either way, it’s not fair that people are always saying “Yeti, she’s such a trouble maker.” “Yeti, you need to be nicer.” “Yeti, you can’t just steal kazillions of dollars.” Well, I’m fed up! It’s time to set the record straight. I just happen to be the victim of unlucky circumstances. Take, for instance, our recent stay at YMCA Camp Shady Brook.

We had a terrific time with our friend Carol the eagle. It was a nice sunny day and the snows hadn’t yet fallen. While we were hanging out by the creek, Fajita asked about going swimming (of course). Carol said she was trained as a lifeguard & would be happy to take us.

She also warned us it was going to be VERY cold, since it’s been pretty frosty lately. I said “no, thank you.” (See, evidence that I am polite. So, there.) Fajita and Taco were still interested, so into the lake they went.

And, then, out of the lake they came. Super fast. I’ve never seen such a hilarious thing in my life! They were yelping and shivering and shaking water all around. I really, really wanted to say “I told you so.” But I didn’t. (Another point in my favor.) Carol said we might have a better time in a boat, so we took out a kayak.

It was a pretty relaxing ride. As we were leaving, Taco decided to have a staring contest with the local owl. They didn’t really agree to the contest, but since they won, it’s all okay. Fajita found the owl spooky and hid behind me the whole time…

We decided to stop into the farmhouse to say “hello” to Chris. (Again, me being friendly. And polite.) He was pretty excited to see us again! We were pretty excited to see the treasure box in the corner. What a lovely surprise- goodies just for us!

It took a little finagling to get the box open. We knew it would be worth the effort. What would be inside? Jewels? Money? Bricks of gold? All of the above? Wrong!

I mean, really. Who puts a perfectly wonderful treasure chest out on a table and then fills it with useless pieces of paper? Who falsely represents valuable riches and encourages young Stuffie friends to explore, knowing they’ll be disappointed at the contents? Exactly. And that’s why we TP’d the Lodge.

See? There’s always a reason for doing what I do. Natural consequences, and all. That’s when Chris and Katie had a hard conversation with me. They said that since my cousin S’mores came to stay with me, I’ve been a little out of control. What with stealing money from casinos, cash drawers, TP’ing lodges, and all. And maybe it was time for us to take a break from each other. WHAT? How can this be a good idea? Look at how cute this guy is. Is that the face of a bear who’d do anything wrong? I ask you!

They were unmoved by my pleas and pledges. So we had to say “goodbye” for awhile. S’mores is off to spend some time in Ireland with Angel Bear and others who are a “good influence” and I’m meant to find things to do that are educational and profound and what not. (Joke’s on them- I’ve been busy scheming and watching TV.) And now I’m headed to Ireland for a reunion- See you very soon, friend!