cat

An Afternoon in Bed

Peggy Rice3 Comments

The experts are saying that whatever you’re feeling in the pandemic, it’s ok. Give yourself some grace – your random wild feelings are normal. Mine put me in bed this afternoon. And I’m ok with that.

I had a productive morning. Swept the bathroom. Scrubbed the shower floor. Watered the outside plants. Wrote a little. Had my coffee and quiet time.

But around 11:30am, my tummy got rumbly. Not sick, just not well. And my mood declined. So I laid down. Then I thought I might be hungry, so I ate. And laid back down. Then I thought some cola syrup sometimes helps, so I got a Diet Coke. And laid back down.

I never did nap, though my eyes were closed some of the time. The bedroom windows are open, so I listened to the sound of our outdoor fountain bubbling. And the birds singing. The sun came and went behind clouds – I could feel the temperature drop with each shaded moment. Then warmth again.

My tummy is mostly better. But now I have a cat curled up on my lap, so I’m still not going anywhere.

I haven’t had an extended bad mood during this coronavirus, though the last three days have been a little rough. Hard to put into words what I’m feeling. I’m not down. Maybe just bored. And tired of the whole quarantine thing.

As I lay here in bed, I ponder. There’s divisiveness again – people wearing masks are being hassled. What happened to “We’re all in this together!”? We started out with a shared experience, but it is devolving. People are getting tired. And fed up. And angry. Which leads to choosing sides instead of unity. Instead of community.

And that won’t defeat the pandemic, and only serves to separate us more. In a time when we need to be kind and grace-filled with each other, extending patience and understanding.

It’s enough conflict to make me take to my bed for the afternoon!

Sleepless

Peggy RiceLeave a comment

What. is. going. on?

We went to bed 3 hours ago, and I’m still wide awake. I tried chamomile tea. I tried warm milk. I tried Advil. This all in addition to the sleep med that I take. But it’s no use. I’m still wide awake.

Contrast that to other nights this week. Hubby was traveling, and I found myself bored and tired by 9pm, collapsing into bed and asleep by 9:30 at the latest.  And I’d get a full 10, even 12 hours of sleep! This happened all week long, until tonight.

Now here I am at 1:09am, typing a blog because I’m too awake to even close my eyes. They keep popping back open!

My mind isn’t racing with a long to-do list.  I’m not worried about anything. I’m not anxious for anyone. I’m just awake.

There are two variables to which I might be able to pinpoint a cause. One – I had a glass of wine right before bed. But I’ve done that many times, and have rarely had a problem falling asleep. Two – my husband is home and back in bed with me. Hmm. Perhaps I’ve gotten comfortable having the bed all to myself!

This second scenario would imply that I’m sprawling out in the middle of the mattress, hogging all the pillows and blankets, and taking over the bed. But this is not the case. I sleep on my side of the bed, even when he’s gone. I might occasionally pull the blankets my way, but I’m not sleeping down the center.

So what has caused this nighttime wakefulness? I haven’t had insomnia for several months – is it cyclical, and it’s time for me again? Is this going to be a repeat pattern, every few months? I can’t draw that conclusion from just one night of wide-awakeness.

The cat just wandered in, wondering why I’m awake. I’m sure. She usually has the house to herself at night! She sniffs my computer and then saunters off to explore another corner of the home. Maybe out to the garage, where she can hop through the open window and curl up in the seat of the car and nap. Oh, that sounds nice!

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. Psalm 4:8 NLT

National Pet Day

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In honor of yesterday as National Pet Day, I wanted to write a post that shared the furry friends who have been part of our life over the years.

We started with a stray cat we found under our car in our first apartment. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictures of Jenny before she was reclaimed by the local drug dealer in our complex!

Next came Maggie, who we had before we had children. She was our first baby, and I think she thought she was human. She was with us for 16 years.

Then we had Alex – a kitten who hid in Chris’ underwear drawer, and who was an awesome companion to Maggie.

Next came Allie.

We found Bob when he’d been hit by a car. “Bob bites” might have been our daughter’s first sentence.

Then Arthur. The opposite of Bob. Our son learned to stand by pushing off of Arthur’s belly. He was so tolerant!

Then we got Abbie and Archie, who we had for 15 years.

Next came Ella, a hound dog who stopped listening whenever she caught a great scent.

Finally, we acquired Annabelle and now Henry. They have bonded well, and keep us company all day – and night – long!

We love our fur-babies!

Concrete, Animals. (not concrete animals, notice the comma!)

Peggy Rice4 Comments 
/\    /\ 
Archie My 
sweet companion 
for so many years. 
\ I thought we would have /
  / much more ^ time together.\
I was eager to spend 
hours scratching 
under your 
 chin and behind your ears. 
  Your purr is a noise! You tell 
 me that you love me in so many 
 ways. When you wait at the edge 
 of the kitchen and watch for me to 
 sit down on the couch. Just waiting. 
 Then you saunter into the living room 
  without even a glance in my direction. 
 Oh! You're so surprised that I'm there!
 And         you jump onto my lap and lay across the                 
book        I'm trying to read, gently pushing your          
     way      into my lap to demand to be rubbed. You            
       are      such a clever kitty! Petting your                    
rumbling body helps me relax and focus     
                           on the         moment.                         
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