Monday, September 6, 2010

My Night

Here's how my night went last night.

I settled into the recliner with Polly on one side and Shiloh on the other, but it was one of those nights when I just couldn't sleep. I watched boring TV and interesting TV, I tried to sleep but it just wouldn't come. On nights like that, I move to the couch and try sleeping horizontally, though I can never sleep all night on the couch because my back starts hurting.

We made our procession down the hall, Sheila prancing happily in front (because the best part of her day is when I sleep in the living room), Polly and Shiloh following me, leaping at the back of my calves, because that's what they always do. Lizzie was sleeping on the couch and grumbled about getting down. Buttercup was in her cage, with the door open. Big mistake.

I settled in on the couch, happy that, unlike Polly and Bella, Polly and Shiloh very happily shared couch space together, both curling up behind my butt, which surely has to be the last place anybody would want to sleep, but they love it. Midnight exhaust and all.

I tried to sleep and was just finally dozing off, dreaming of taking a bunch of girls camping, of all things, when a great kerfuffle arose at my butt. Apparently Buttercup, realizing she was sleeping alone in the family room, came looking for all of us and, despite her size, was able to somehow climb up onto the couch and land on top of Polly and Shiloh, who were not happy about it.

I reached over and picked the puppy up, and put her in my arms in front of me. She was very happy to be with me, nibbling and gnawing on my fingers and chin but I didn't pay attention to her. I just held her until she finally started falling asleep.

Now, as I am a person of size, when I lie down on the couch on my side, there isn't a heck of a lot of room between me and the edge of the couch, so I was alway mindful of the fact that I had to keep holding onto the puppy so as not to drop her on the floor. She fell into a deep sleep, which had her body the consistency of a rag doll. I, on the other hand, could not sleep because I didn't want to run the risk of dropping her.

I finally managed to move her onto my chest, and she continued to sleep. Here she was relatively safe, but this meant that I had to sleep on my back, which I can't do because of stabbing pains in my back. Also, so as not to disturb the dogs at my butt, my legs were bent, which they don't like to be, particularly my left leg.

I'm lying there thinking how dumb this was. I'm the human, for Pete's sake, and here I am on my back so the puppy can sleep and twisting my legs all askew so the other dogs can sleep, and I'm in pain while they are sleeping! Curse you, rational thinking!

Finally I tried to straighten the left leg out a bit and that's when I discovered that at some point, Polly and Shiloh had moved off the couch and I had the whole end of the couch to myself and could do whatever I wanted with my legs.

This allowed me to gently turn onto my side, the position in which I sleep best, and roll Buttercup to my back, so she was safe, and maybe finally I could get some sleep.

But about now one of the other dogs decided to play with this toy which I have enjoyed and cursed off and on ever since someone dropped it off with a foster dog. It's a stuffed hand saw, but the thing that makes it unique is that if you press on the noise maker part in the handle of the saw, it makes the sound of sawing that lasts for a few seconds. Dogs love it and young dogs who have never seen it before are so funny when the sound starts.

So the sound started and in a nanosecond, Buttercup was wide awake and barking. She was trying to jump off the couch, but I was afraid she'd hurt herself, so I picked her up and went to put her down, only instead of putting her down on the floor, I actually put her down on top of Sheila, who was lying by my side.

This woke Sheila up and she roared at Buttercup who started yelping in fear of Big Scary Sheila.

Obviously sleeping on the couch was not going to be an option any longer, so I got up and staggered into the kitchen. It was 5 a.m. I probably had some sleep since I first went to the recliner, but only little snippets of sleep. I went to climb into the recliner again, but there was puppy poop on the floor to be cleaned up first.

I finally got into the recliner with Polly and Shiloh again some time after 5. I didn't worry about Buttercup, who would go back to sleep in the cage, as long as we were there with her.

I did get to sleep, but at 6:30, a wide-awake, hungry Buttercup was nibbling at my toes and I ended up giving up and getting up. This morning the dogs, who have all had a good night's sleep (grrr) are holding races up and down the hall. Maybe I can sleep while the sprinting is going on.

How was your night?

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