Out Wit, Out Last, Out Play....Survivor Doghouse

One of the funniest things my parents collected on their many travels was a "doghouse" which had various plates you could slide in the front to represent which one of the 5 of us kids were in trouble. My mother had cut out pictures of each one of her precious children's faces and placed one of our pictures on each of the 5 plates. It was shaped like a house, and was approximately 5 inches square, just the right size to sit in the kitchen window sill, so that when we came into the house we would immediately know which one of us was in deep doo-doo. As we got older, (or maybe as I got older, since I am the youngest and the last to catch on!!) if we found our face in the doghouse we would change the face, putting someone else in the doghouse. Oh memories, such fun! Wonder whatever happened to the doghouse?

My mother is a huge Survivor fan. Huge, doesn't even begin to describe it. When my parents lived near us, my husband and I would fix dinner and take it over to their home, the four of us would share a meal, I would clean up the kitchen, and then NO ONE was allowed to utter a sound unless it was time for a commercial break. Mom would wave her hand and shush anyone who dared to even so much as cough or clear their throat. Heaven forbid the phone would ring. If you walked in front of the TV, as my father would on his way to the bathroom at least once each show...daggers were thrown in your direction. Did I mention my mother is a Survivor fanatic?

My father has passed and my mother is living in an assisted living facility, we continue our Survivor night parties, with a few adjustments to the routine. On Thursday nights we do our in town shopping and then head over to mom's, taking along a snack for "Survivor Food". We typically arrive 30 minutes or so before the show is to begin, arrange her room so that we can all see the TV, say anything that needs to be said so that we don't get the evil eye or the hand waving shushing.

Last Thursday was the first show of the new session for Survivor. We arrived 25 minutes before the show was to begin, Survivor food in hand, the first show of a new session...let's party! Uh oh...what's wrong with momma? Uh oh...momma aint happy. Silence. Not a good sign. TV is turned on and SURVIVOR is on!!! How can that be? It is 25 minutes too early for Survivor to be on, and it is already half over! What is going on??? OK, do something, think, think, think...

In just a couple of minutes hubby realizes that it is a repeat of an earlier Survivor. This is not the new session show, this is a re-run. Oh good, resolved that...or did we? Nope, still getting the silent treatment from momma, she is NOT thrilled with her youngest child. I am not the pretty one, and I definitely am not the smart one. I am the one who has disappointed her. For the next 20 minutes we try to tell her this is NOT the new show but she isn't having any of it. We failed to arrive in time for our Survivor Party, we failed and we are dead meat.

At 8 p.m. I switched channels and TA DA!!! Survivor Maya was just beginning. Momma perks up, yakyakyakyakyak (my mother is a stroke victim and no longer says words)....Yes, momma, that is what we have been telling you, that was a re-run you were watching. yak yak yak, hand waving...Yes, momma we were here on time. yak yak yak...Yes, momma, we did not miss the opening show. yak yak yak...yes, momma we would never let you down. Momma is back to her usual jolly Survivor Fan self, now shush!!!

Today, if the doghouse were still around I have no doubt my face would be have there, front and center, at least for an hour.