Last night and this morning were littered with weird.

I got home late last night, after 8, and quickly fed the dog and cat and hurried into my pj’s to enjoy a glass of wine on the couch with what was left of House. As I walked into our great room I stopped. And stared.

On the arm of our black couch was a fast food packet of pepper. I did not put it there. I had vacuumed the couches Sunday afternoon because our church small group came over Sunday night. It is entirely possible that one of them placed/left it there; it’s just that I walk past that couch very frequently and I spent the rest of the evening on Sunday 3 feet from the arm of that couch, camped out on the other couch. It is a white packet on a black couch, very obvious. I never saw the pepper packet.

Also, I don’t use pepper. It was from McDonald’s which really means it wasn’t from me, because the only thing I order there is double cheeseburger and fries. So maybe one of them found it in their purse and just set it there and forgot it?

Here’s an odd thing that has NO RELEVANCE, but I still find it interesting. We like surprises, so we didn’t know if Joel was a boy or girl and his name in utero was Sprout. I like the idea of growing things so if we get pregnant again I was kicking around names like Sweet Pea, Punkin, and………drumroll please,  Pepper. Hmmm. And no, I am not pregnant. (Glass of wine? Immaculate conception? Not pregnant.)

By the end of House I have a headache. It feels like the beginning of a migraine, pulsing over my eyes and making me dizzy. I decide bed is the best option before this escalates. I rarely have headaches but one laid me out a couple weeks ago, complete with vomiting and extreme light sensitivity. Best to play this safe so I talk to Leo and go to sleep.

2am: “Hello? Are you there? Hello! Babe, are you there? Hello! Hello!”

I roll over, waking out of a sound sleep to see my cat contentedly lying next to my lit up phone. I pick it up, “Leo? Is everything ok?” The cat called him. It is my only theory, except that the cat was lying there purring, not walking around and the phone was on speaker, which requires pushing the menu key, tabbing down four options and selecting the speakerphone. The phone call lasted less than a minute; it isn’t like he had time to push buttons and then get cuddled in. Now the cat adores Leo, like way more than me (that’s what 15 years of loyalty will get you with a cat) so it was really funny that he wanted to hear Leo’s voice, except that CATS CANNOT WORK PHONES.

Interesting.

Morning. Wake up, get the bouncing dog going, feed the pets, shower etc. Walk out into great room looking for dog. She isn’t in any of her usual spots. I keep looking and am startled to see her staring at me from the arm of the black couch. Where the pepper was. She doesn’t sit there. The dog has a few favorite places throughout our house and she is dedicated to them, the only time she strays is when there is a warm, sunny spot. For a sunny spot she will sit anywhere. There was no sun on the black couch. And she just calmly stared at me, completely unwilling to move.

I do not presume to understand this series of odd events. I also do not believe in ghosts or coincidence. I do believe that sometimes weird things happen and we attach meaning when really it is nothing. Also, I believe that I am often less than observant so I miss things and then later when I notice them I might be startled.

Let’s just say I’m startled.