Finally, a Sleep Solution

I was determined to get a good night’s sleep last night so after watching Dancing with the Stars – which always improves my mood, I find myself smiling (sometimes with tears) through the show – I took a nice hot bath in Epsom Salts, with Jane kitty sitting by the tub, purring up at me. Remember, this cat has always lived in the garage/outside. She has no idea what a bath is. I told her it was like going in the pool, only smaller and she seemed to get that.

I petted her a long time, gave her more dry food, and locked her into that bathroom – which is carpeted and includes a big walk-in closet. I left a pillow for her to sleep on.

I put two chairs at the end of the hall, so Walter could not sleep outside my door and whimper.  Locked myself in with Audrey. Opened a window. Read (started “Dewey”) until 11:00 and slept until 6:30, remembering my dream which culminated in these two cute young guys in very short shorts (their new uniforms).

What a difference a good night’s sleep makes! The morning was cold, in the 40’s and the sun did not come up until after 7:30.  I encountered my neighbor across the street who was a little snippy with me yesterday when I called to ask if I could borrow a rake. She was nicer this morning. Her daughter lives in Camarillo, which she pronounced like Amarillo.

Last week the landlord sent someone to mow the lawn but they didn’t rake it, so the dry grass on top looked pretty scruffy. I don’t want to get in trouble in this pristine neighborhood! so I was out there raking when the Purdys came by.  I told them the deer look like antelope and he said they were, they were imported from somewhere. The man down the street feeds them every night at dusk.  I told them about my father feeding raccoons and how much I miss the rabbits in Coarsegold. I miss them so much at dusk, I miss the crows, the ground squirrels, tree squirrels, even the coyotes.

John says this place is our purgatory and that in a few years we’ll be back in the country, or at least living where we don’t have to put lawn clippings in bags and pick up dog poop.  I’m collecting all the bags of Walter’s poop in a big bag in the freezer. Then it will go out on trash day. I can’t stand the smell of it, stinking up the garage.

I hope he’ll live long enough to get to run wild again.