DREAMS

Yesterday about six a.m., my girl cat meowed. One of those Get-up-and-feed-me-before-I-starve-to-death! yowls that make you think someone is murdering her. Just one yowl but enough to wake me in the middle of a dream.

I danced in the back of the chorus line while Barbra Streisand sang "Hello Dolly" in the front. I never saw her--backs of period costumes and hats of the dancers around me blocked my view--but I heard her very plainly. Seems I was actually a part of the dream. Don't know why I dreamed about her. She's okay, but I was never a big fan.

Usually, I don't participate in my dreams. They normally work like movies or books. Movies flow as if on screen. For books, I see the pages.

My most unusual dream was a television show. With commercials. It was a period (Hmmm. Could I be onto something here? Maybe I should be concentrating on writing more historicals?) drama. The only scenes I remember were men in black suits and string ties carrying a coffin up--or down--a narrow staircase; and women in Victorian mourning dresses sitting around a table, wiping their eyes.

The commercial came in the middle, naturally. A merry little jingle accompanied an actress flinging open the trunk of her car to reveal a beautifully wrapped large box with one of those big, puffy bows. I think it was advertising some department store I'd never heard of. Then back to the drama.

Strangely enough, I could sing the commercial's ditty the next day. I have no idea where that came from. Neither tune nor lyrics were familiar.

Anyway, this morning my cat didn't yowl till seven o'clock. Guess I was past the dream stage because I just woke up annoyed.

Not that she cares.

NO CLOSING

We were supposed to close on our house yesterday but naturally it got put off till next week. So my dreams are back.

Last night I was in Italy, touring the countryside, eating all kinds of good food, looking at villas overlooking vineyards. And speaking Italian.

I don't know Italian. Well, other than stuff like arriverderci and ciao. I did have one of those 'Learn Italian at Home' kits when I was growing up, but that's been a long time ago and I'm afraid I never really applied myself. So I'm not sure where all the Italian phrases I was spouting in my dream came from.

And I must have been muttering in my sleep, because the cats gave me strange looks when I got up this morning, and they keep scuttling away like they're scared they're gonna become Italian cats.

I think I'll let them keep thinking it's a possibility. Keeps them from underfoot.

HOUSE BUYING

This house buying is the pits. I keep having weird dreams about it.

Last night, the dream is about closing. We and our real estate agent are sitting around a table with some more people (never did figure out who they were nor were they actual people I know) and looking at the paperwork.

I pick up a pen to sign, then see the address and stop, horrified. "We're buying the wrong house!"

Our real estate agent pats my hand. "Now, now, everything's being taken care of. I have it all in hand."

"No! We're buying the wrong house! We can't sign this!"

My guy chirps, "No worries. We'll deal with it later."

"It's the wrong house, I tell you!"

"Just sign the paper!" my guy snaps. "If you don't, it'll be a year before we can close!"

This morning I wake up, mad with him and worried about the closing. Do I subconsciously not want to close? Do I wish we were still looking at houses? Do I resent my guy for insisting on getting us out of my neat little condo?

This is worse than buying our first house!