I have added five souls to my daily routine. Rarely, we catch, like a hang-nail on the soft weave of daily life, but for the most part we are respectfully in tune with each other and allow for creative and emotional venting. Walks along the Wapack allow Gaia and B to expend energies pent-up by change; visits with neighbor’s goats bring an almost stupid grin to Hanni, and the rest of us all seem to find our moments of bliss.
How strange, to be old enough to know this is a blip in time and to relish it rather than to give in to the frustration and fear of change?
I share my bed with three dogs now; not all the time, and not always all three. But when I come home at night, peel off the day’s suit of armor and look at my bed, I know it will take a moment to make it mine again. Covers are strewn and pillows are dented. From my bed, they can survey the drive and the comings and goings of the house. From this spot, they are high enough and angled just perfectly for the windows. Alice, Chuck and Thelma share the boundary patrol from comfortable stations.
I shake off the duvet cover, remove the sheet from between it and the comforter, and toss the “dog quilt” layer into the laundry basket. If there are crunchies between the sheets they are of my own making for eating pistachios in bed. No blaming the dogs for those nuggets of discomfort.
Once I am settled cross-legged on a clean platform, they circle like fish focused on the worm of my hook, aka peacefulness. Alice jumps up and stretches across the bottom of the bed, strategically covering the cool spot in line with the open windows. Chuck tip-toes around, gauging his leap and what territory it will land him. Thelma struts in, goes straight for my pillows and turns her butt at me. My suggestion she leave is met with surly indignation.
Gaia bounces in, all fluff and blue eyes. “Is anyone playing in here???!!” She leaps up on the bed, realizes there is no spot of welcome and darts off, careening out the door.
Bed is the most primal of places. It is where you strip off the contact lenses that put everything in sharp perspective and succumb to total release – mind and body. How very primal and pack-like that the bed has become our ground zero.
Such is this exquisite slice of life, this total sensory-overload where I can find bliss or irritation. I choose bliss because the day is too short for wasting a moment on nuggets of discomfort and I probably brought them into the bed myself anyway…
Therapeutic Misadventures 
Ah, my kindred spirit….. Dopplegangers for sure. While I have one human and two large beasties that share my “nest”, the one who takes up the most room in the king size bed is indeed four-legged… insists on lying perpendicular at the bottom of the bed, on his back, hind legs stretched out behind, front legs stretched out in the opposite direction, covers the entire bed side to side. Being a bit of a snuggler, he needs to touch you while sleeping, so, if I move away, he follows…Often times, I hang off the corner of the bed while the rest sprawl in blissful sleep… In my next life, I want to come back as one of MY dogs…or maybe one of yours!
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Dogs don’t seem to get the whole lie top to bottom concept of beds. I would gladly come back as one of yours!!
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Plenty of body heat to keep you warm at night.
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That is so true, Laura. They are little furnaces!
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Love the pack. We were gone for two nights, and our Sadie was wild with excitement at our return. Two days!
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Thanks Susan. Luckily they have very little sense of time and are always happy to see us. Where would we be without them?!?!
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Speaking for myself, I’d be without so much laughter (and I live for that stuff!)
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Lots of written gems scattered throughout….
— How strange, to be old enough to know this is a blip in time and to relish it rather than to give in to the frustration and fear of change? JAJ NOTE: How wonderful!!!
— Once I am settled cross-legged on a clean platform, they circle like fish focused on the worm of my hook, aka peacefulness.
— Bed is the most primal of places. It is where you strip off the contact lenses that put everything in sharp perspective and succumb to total release – mind and body. How very primal and pack-like that the bed has become our ground zero. JAJ NOTE: Wow!!
— I choose bliss because the day is too short for wasting a moment on nuggets of discomfort and I probably brought them into the bed myself anyway…
Kudos, Martha. Well done!
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I agree!
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Thank you Cheryl. Better gems than germs?!
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Thank you Julie! I have great inspirational material here in all these beasties!!
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I’m surprised that they don’t all join you!
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Sometimes they do!
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Great post. Loved the description of the dogs circling to find their spots. (So far the 2 here are getting along fabulously – no rain and being able to run in the back yard makes a huge difference. The German hates fireworks and has already announced she is reserving the windowless inner bathroom for several hours on July 4th…but will welcome company there)
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I’m with the German when it comes to the loud bangs and lights. Thanks for dropping by Phil. Rain here, lots of muddy prints. Soggy paw wave to your crew.
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Just heard thunder and the German is pacing nervously….No more soggy! Enough already….
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We do the same by draping a sheet over the bed so our dog can sit and survey the garden and keep an eye on the front gate! By the way, I posted that dog story today that we spoke about!
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Loved your story about walks with Rosie. For some reason your posts are not showing up in my email…will have to go fix that.
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I think dog is loyal more than human…….!!!!!!!
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