SLEEPING WITH THE DOGS

Yesterday I downloaded a Jack Reacher novel onto my Kindle and unfortunately began reading. Some of them are not very good, but this one was fun: a paranoics dream come true--(BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE by Lee Child in case you are another mild paranoic)(Don't read this if you are heavily into conspiracy theory).
Anyway I got caught up in it and so I read throughout the day off and on, falling asleep at odd intervals in my chair, because the bed, you know, is covered with Basset hounds. I have no place to lay down during the day. Consequently, I doze in my chair, head thrown back, mouth open, probably snoring. I sleep for twenty minutes to an hour at a time. And it is vexing in the extreme because I loathe being tired, all the time, every day. And I am.

So last night I had a chat with my resident shrink about being tired, so damn tired all the time, and he offered to switch rooms with me for a couple of weeks, so that he would get up multiple times during the night with the dogs and I could sleep.

       (Why isn't she UP it's light out and everthing, where's breakfast?)
Anyway we had this interesting (to me) chat about sleeping with the dogs. Here is how it works. Nobody but Cooper is allowed on my single bed at night and he rarely will stay there more than 15 or 20 minutes.
So like last night I read until 10, at which time I stopped to catheterize Nigel, get him tucked in, let the others out and tuck them in (Conley is crated: Nigel goes in his pen, Cooper and Llewis usually sack out in the living room.)

After I got all this done, I stripped my bed of all the waterproof pads and blankies and pillows and towels that made it Nigel's home for most of the day, and turned out the lights except the reading light and continued my pursuit of the end of the book.

I finished about 11:30. I did my own ablutions, turned out the light and crawled contentedly into bed. I left the window open. It was in the 50's. Instantly, Nigel began to whimper and I smelled....poop.
I got out of bed, turned on the light and cleaned up the poop in his pen. I threw some clean stuff in there and stuffed the dirty smudged stuff in the washer. I turned out the light and went back to bed.

At 12:30, Cooper came in, put his foreleg on the bed and his ice cold nose in my ear. He wanted out.
I sent him out. Conley began to fuss. I sent him out. I tried to rouse Llewis but once he is down he is down and I could maybe have carried him outside but he would not have awakened.

I let everyone back in, handed out treats (Llewis does not even awaken for that) locked doors, turned out lights and went back to bed.

Llewis came in and wanted in bed with me.
Tired and grumpy I boosted him up even tho it is expressly verbotten.
He wanted the whole bed.
I boosted him off again.
I closed my eyes and became startlingly aware of a PRESENCE. It was my husband wanting to know why Llewis was crying.

By the time I finished explaining, Llewis had gotten up onto a chair and gone to sleep.

Now, by now 1 o'clock or so, I went to sleep. Until 2:30 when Nigel began crying. I got up, cleaned the poop up, threw dirty stuff in the full washing machine, replaced it with clean, turned out the light and slept until 4:30 when Cooper came in with Llewis to see if I had died during the night and forgotten that it was almost breakfast time (Anytime after 1 a.m. is "breakfast time" according to the dog clocks.)

I got up.

Ok this is what John thinks he is going to switch with me and do. I explained that I have been doing a version of this since 1970 when our daughter appeared on the scene. It's a Mother thing. It can be a Dad thing too, don't misunderstand, and it was gallant, and generous, and very kind of him to offer, but I have gone out of town before and left John with the dogs, and I know what lack of sleep does to HIM, and what it does to me is nothing compared to what two or three days of sleeplessness does to him. OY!!

But now I understand that when I say "I'm Tired" I at least have a reason.


By the way it is December 15th in the heart of the midwest and it is 51 degrees out. I have windows open.
To keep me awake........