It’s the second week of October and all’s well with the world. I’m not so sure about Admiral Nelson and NIMR. Seems he’s upset with the gift of two potted Purple Shamrocks when he’d wanted green.

Sharkey says they just have to be bad luck, and that no Leprechaun in his right mind would ever have one next to his pot of gold. But there are no Leprechauns at NIMR that I know of, if anywhere, and they’re nice little plants, really they are. So what if Angie deemed them perfect for Halloween. And so what if they’re also called ‘Love Plants’.  Just because Agent Catfish sent them to him, it doesn’t mean anything, does it?

In any case, Lee’s drafted me to assist in the Halloween party preparations. He’s decided the Flying Sub needs a tune up, even though she answers to all the checks we gave her. But it’s a done deal, and he advised me not to bother Nelson with his flight plans ; that Nelson had enough on his mind, what with Agent Catfish probably coming out for a brief holiday and the party.  We think she’s getting stuck on him…he likes her too, but I think he’s also a bit afraid of her intentions.

Oh, she acts like somebody’s maiden aunt (she is actually), and is sweet to all of us…but lately the Admiral’s been getting more brownies  and cookies than the rest of us. Even so, he’s getting grumpier by the minute. Especially when asked me where Lee was and I had no choice but to inform him that Lee’s ‘tune up’ included a trip to Ireland. 

He groaned, and griped that nobody had  told him the Flying Sub needed a tune up. Well, I had to tell him didn’t I, that we hadn’t found anything out of whack but if the Skipper felt as if she did, well, who were we to argue. 

“Indeed,” he said, then grinned, “but if he decides to give her a tune up like this again without clearing it me first, he’ll be scrubbing  out the bilges for a month.”

Now, I know that the Flying Sub didn’t really need a tune up, and I know Nelson knows it too. We both knew why Lee took her to Ireland. Now if we can only figure out some way to tell Agent Catfish how her Purple Shamrocks turned green.