GRADUATION DAY!!!

... and the gates came tumblin' down! Phantom officially graduated today. He is now a fully integrated member of the family with FULL household access!

After Joe and I spent some time in the basement this morning making sure any and all accesses to the ceiling were repaired, I finally bit the bullet and opened the basement door for Phantom to gain entry to the last forbidden household realm. This must be what it feels like to send one's child off to college, because I was pretty sure I wouldn't see my boy again until at least Thanksgiving. But he surprised me.

When I opened the door, Phantom was napping on the couch. Within a few minutes, he was at the top of the stairs gazing into the depths beneath. As he started down the stairs, Feather spied him, and I could tell the white demon meant to make trouble on Phantom's first journey south. I snatched up Mr. Mischief before he could throw Phantom down the stairs and held onto him until Phantom reached the bottom on his own. As soon as I released Feather, he raced down after Phantom and chased him back upstairs. So much for exploring the basement.

I saw Phantom on the basement stairs a couple more times this afternoon, but his interest in exploring the underworld is almost non-existent at this point. I'm guessing that his interest will pique once the rest of us turn in for the night. It will be Phantom's first night of freedom in the house. No more overnight bedroom restriction for that boy. I won't be surprised, however, if he spends the night in the bedroom, anyway.

I wonder how many times I'll be awoken in the middle of the night over the next week to rescue Phantom from whoever decides to smack him around in the basement if he does go exploring.

Happy Graduation Day, Phantom! I knew you could do it!

Laurie