The following is the account of a weird dream I had last night. I know other people's dreams are not always especially interesting, but this one was very strange and seemed meaningful and I need a place to park it until I sort it out. So if you're not into that sort of thing, skip this entry. I'll try to add a real post later. Happy Leap Day!

* * * * *

I had the strangest dream last night that I can�t make head nor tail of, nor can I find any particular link to my life at the moment. I was on some kind of African safari with a group of my (female) friends and our young children. In real life we are all married, but in the dream we were all single mothers. We had just bought a house, a big old rambling Victorian with lots of rooms and lots of maintenance needed, together to share communally and run as a school for girls. But there was some kind of problem. Some paperwork wasn�t filed properly. And it turned out the seller�s daughter wanted to go to college near the house and he wanted it back, so we were being sued for millions in addition to possibly losing the house. On our safari, we were all doing things to try to raise money for the legal battle. One friend was creating elaborate dioramas with objects found in the jungle and selling them on e-bay. At one point I remember her announcing her disappointment that they weren�t selling for more, but they were selling for $6,000.

I was surprised to find our jungle explorations a little less wild than anticipated � the path we walked on was a boardwalk caged in with chicken wire to keep the monkeys and birds out. The path went downhill along the side of a swiftly-flowing river.

Also on the safari was our real estate lawyer, who was played in the dream by our real life real estate lawyer, the one that bungled the sale of our last house resulting in a two month period where we had neither house or the money for it (It�s a very long story, but all was resolved eventually). He was responsible for the error of the purchase of the house in the dream and he was trying to make it right. There was no love lost between us at the beginning of the dream (as in real life). All the friends were furious at him as well and he was generally an annoying, distrustful person. But at the end of the dream I had fallen in love with him and he proposed in secret on the trip home, after all had been resolved with the house. Our relationship had been growing in secret, because of all the animosity. He showed me a huge diamond ring, the size of a nickel, and I didn�t understand it was meant for me. He told me, speaking of my friends, �They all think I�m going to give it to Claire Danes.� We decided not to tell anyone of the engagement just yet and then I woke up.

As a footnote, I should add that one friend in the dream who is also a friend in real life has (in real life) a niece named Claire Danes and another niece with the same rather unusual first name as myself. In the context of the dream, though, the name Claire Danes was definitely meant to be the movie actress. I am, however, certain the connection is not random, as she was the friend who was most active in the dream.

I think the idea of the community house with children came from my thinking about going to my college reunion this spring. I attended the last one with rs536 and another friend. When on a walk around town, we went along one of our favorite streets with big old Victorian homes, some kind of run down. This was before two of us were married with kids. We talked about buying a house and each taking a floor for us and our kids. I had forgotten about this until I woke up this morning.

0 people said it like they meant it