Dark and Dreary

Last night was awful. I finally abandoned my bed and took up residence in my recliner. I still coughed, but at least I didn't disturb others. I slept fitfully between coughing spells until I heard the bark of a dog.

My usual wake-up call comes from Oscar. He is old and he likes routine. He whimpers and stands at the foot of the bed, where his mommy (that would be me) magically appears and scoops him gently into her arms and carries him to the back door, all the while showering his sweet head with kisses and telling him how loved he is, before lowering him gently to the ground and waiting patiently while he takes care of business.

I have no doubt that Oscar whimpered and waited as long as he could, what with his age and his appreciation of a good routine. When his mommy did not appear, her being asleep in a semi-upright position in another room, he did what he did. What goes in must come out.

Wall-E barked to alert someone of the event. He fancies himself to be the town crier in situations that need the help of people (he considers us to be janitors). I smelled it as soon as I entered the room. I flipped on the light, thinking I needed to see to properly remedy the situation.

Oscar sleeps at the foot of our bed on a king size blanket folded four times. He had done his morning routine on his blanket and I was trying to gather the blanket and would have been successful had the lone occupant of the bed simply stopped moving. When I turned on the light, I told him cover his eyes and BE STILL, that Oscar had pooped in the bed. He covered his eyes, but his legs were moving to and fro as if he were swimming. I swear I wanted to grab his foot and bite him!

Of course he made my mission unsuccessful. I grabbed what I could and exited the room, four dogs following me to the back yard. Knowing I would have to strip my bed when he woke up just added to my utter annoyance. I brewed a pot of coffee and started laundry. HeWho can sleep through noise and nasty smells, slept on. After taking care of dog needs, I managed to doze off.

He Who sleeps soundly awakened and managed to wake me as he bumbled around. I rose and went to the bedroom to strip the bed. Everything he did annoyed me. I watched as he opened the wrong drawer in his search of socks. He does this everyday. His socks have resided in the bottom drawer of his chest of drawers since we purchased it nearly 20 years ago.

I do not anticipate a good day. Even the sky is dark and dreary.