I dreamt last night that was I interviewing Beverly Cleary, the author of such classic children’s books as Henry Huggins, Ramona the Pest, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8. It was a phone interview, and I was at home with all sorts of print-outs spread across my desk, including spread sheets and sales figures. I was doing quite well at first at maintaining a professional and serious demeanor, but then my facade dropped away and I turned into a raving fanboy, embarrassing myself by gushing about how much I’d loved her books as a kid.

Then the dream jumped to me hearing the phone ring while I was in the shower. I stepped out as quickly as I could, wrapped myself in an enormous, fluffy white hotel bathrobe (something which I don’t own in real life), and rushed to the phone, only to find that Cleary was there, and had already answered. While she was explaining to the caller that I was currently unavailable, I could see my wife arrive from the other end of the hall, also too late to grab the phone.

As I stood there stunned and in awe, thinking, “What the heck is Beverly Cleary doing here?,” I woke.

Amazingly, Beverly Cleary is still alive at age 92.