Butt Crack of Dawn

[mrdreamjeans]

The good mood from dining with joebehrsandiego and his friends carried over into Sunday. I slept in till 8:30am, as I’d completed a new Rita Mae Brown book prior to sleep about 1:30am. I just burrowed under the blankets till I was good and ready to get up.

About 11:30am, I was delighted to receive a phone call from bear_left. Ian and I spoke for over an hour; for me, a record for a first chat. In that time, we solved many of the world's problems:) Ian is never going to believe that I don’t like to talk on the phone much; but then again lately, I feel myself changing. I’ve really enjoyed long conversations with folks like theoctothorpe, designerotter and pbehr. Previously, I’ve only felt truly comfortable on the phone with a family member, my friends Casey, rossbear and gotmoof. Maybe, I’m past that phobia. Or perhaps, I’m just chatting more often with folks who really engage me. Practice makes perfect?

I donned shorts and tee-shirt and tackled the grass mid-afternoon. I hate mowing, but I do like the results of a manicured yard. I read posts of snow in NYC and points north; of intense cold in the Twin Cities; meanwhile, in the Houston area, we were in the mid-70’s and I worked up a nice glistening sweat making my yard look all pretty. I still think having to mow a lawn in February should be considered an evil sin! :)

The lazy bug hit me hard in the late afternoon, but I avoided a nap on the couch and drove to College Station to get some photos developed ... also checked out a sale at Pier One and returned draperies I purchased last week. The color won’t work with the hand-crocheted bedspread that a little old lady here in Brenham is making for me. After a decadent meal at Whataburger, I drove home, singing to Sirius 77 all the way.

Sunday evening was about preparation for the new work week. I caught up on paperwork and reports for the nursing home and selected my clothes for Monday. I plan ahead because I’m never quite ready to start a day at the butt crack of dawn. At best, I’m vertical. I gave myself the same kind of pep talk I used to give myself as a kid. “Neil, the weekend is over and you have to go to school (work) tomorrow. It will be a good week. You’re prepared and you’ll do well on all of the tests.” A means to an end, right? The self-pep talk was just as annoying last night as it was when I was eight. I have never been a morning person:)

This morning ... for the 8th day in a row, I reached for the alarm button to check for the time exactly three minutes before it was scheduled to go off. Coincidentally, my next door neighbor's dogs started howling. I'm not sure what to make of that ... 8 days in a row that the clock announces 6:27am, I'm checking it and the dogs are howling at the same moment. I guess it's part of my new reality at the butt crack of dawn.

Before I forget .... A very Happy Birthday to daltxfurry and to bigredpaul!!! Hope you have a wonderful day of celebration!!