I was going to write about dogs today. Actually dogs will appear in this post, but they are not today's main subject. Today I am writing about "one of those days", because that's what I am having. We've all had them -- days when absolutely nothing will go as it should no matter how much or how little effort you put into it. If I had any sense I would be back in bed already. As I am clearly not back in bed (I could be I guess, as I'm writing this on a laptop that I could take to bed with me), that should be adequate proof that I have no sense.
My little medical problem (SCDS) is affected by changes in atmospheric pressure. Apparently having extra holes in your head makes you more susceptible to pressure fluctuations. (When I was a teenager and wanted to have my ears pierced, my stepfather forbade it and told me I already had enough holes in my head. I, of course, paid absolutely no attention to him and pierced them myself as soon as he turned his back, using self-piercing earrings. Maybe the new extra holes in my head are payback for being such a brat.) When we have storms, which are caused by low pressure systems, I develop headaches that are indescribable. This also means, of course, I should stay out of airplanes and it is probably not a good idea to visit my sister in Colorado. I'll stay out of all airplanes going to humdrum places, but I truly believe if the plane is headed to say Aruba, I'll probably chance it. The headaches last until the atmospheric pressure rises. I don't seem to develop the same problem with high pressure systems.
So, I should've known last night I would have a headache today. We have a NOAA weather radio, which is either a Godsend or a tool of Satan, depending upon my mood. At approximately 7:30 PM last evening, the weather radio broadcast a flash flood watch beginning at 8:00 AM on Wednesday (today) for our area of North Carolina. Now, in order to have flash floods, it stands to reason you must have rain and usually lots of it. If the skies are clear but you know it is going to be rainy soon, the next logical conclusion is that a low pressure system will be passing through. Low pressure = seriously bad headache. Yet, I was surprised and annoyed when I woke this morning with my head already pounding.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda stayed in bed, but no, I got up and made a valiant attempt at starting what I assumed would be a normal day. Silly me! First of all, there are never normal days in our household. There is relatively little that is normal about me or Bud and we like it like that. But even in our abnormal little lives, there is a semblance of normality -- for us -- and I was hoping to achieve just that semblance.
The second sign that my day was just not going to work out well (the first was the blinding headache) occurred when I spilled my entire first morning cup of coffee all over my recliner, end table, all of the junk on the end table including lottery tickets, floor and lamp. I used to drink a LOT of coffee. Caffeine does not affect me; I don't get hyper or jittery, and I could easily drink a cup of coffee and go to sleep (maybe while still drinking it). Of course, I can go to sleep under almost any circumstances, and often do. I am known among our friends as the Queen of the Nap, though I have a bit of competition in that department from two of my closest girlfriends. Oh, we were talking about coffee. Anyway, I am not a very nice person without that morning coffee. ( I only drink two cups of coffee each day now, but I do drink Diet Pepsi all day so I still get my caffeine fix.) I am a really not nice person when I have to clean up spilled coffee before I've had even the first sip. Bending over and moving my arms in anything resembling a sweeping motion makes me sick to my stomach which tends to make even more of a mess if I'm not careful.
One of the things I do first thing every morning is feed the dogs. We currently have three dogs. I had set the bowls of dog food out for them in the kitchen prior to pouring my coffee and they were happily munching away, until they heard all the cussing and swearing and throwing things coming from the living room. Realizing that I was otherwise occupied, our Siberian Husky (who is the only male dog in the pack) decided this would be a good time to run our smallest dog off and eat her food instead of his own. Their food is exactly the same!! So, when I return to the kitchen with my hands full of sopping, dripping paper towels reeking of coffee, I find him with his nose in her bowl and she is standing in the hallway whimpering. I toss the gushy paper towels in the trash and go over to Logan (the husky), grab his collar and start to pull him away from Abby's dish, with the intention of pointing him back in the direction of his own food. Now I'm not sure where our dogs think I come in the pecking order in our pack. Bud is by far the Alpha. But I spend more time with the dogs because I am stuck at home all day, I am generally the one who feeds them, I am usually the one who gives them dog biscuits, and though they might be lying right next to Bud, I am the one they come to when they want to go out (even if I am already in bed). Quite possibly they think of me as the hired help. I have never had a problem with discipline with any of our dogs, but for some unknown reason this morning when I grabbed Logan's collar he turned and nipped at me, then put his head right back in Abby's bowl. He did not make a serious effort to bite me. He was trying to tell me to go away and leave him alone, but I wasn't having any of it. So I grabbed his collar again, and again he nipped at me. That was it! I was having none of this stupid behavior, so I got into a screaming match with a dog. And yes, he talked right back to me. Huskies don't bark. They make a lot of strange noises, but seldom bark. The more I yelled, the more Logan answered back. We don't hit our dogs, but I can tell you this morning he came damn close to making me forget that rule. I chased him around the kitchen for a bit, which must have been comical as I am extremely unbalanced (yes, mentally and physically). I finally just put him outside to give him an opportunity to reconsider his attitude, which also gave Abby an opportunity to finish her food.
I am at last convinced I need to just go back to bed. The dogs are all fed, I've had a cup of coffee, the rain has arrived, and Bud is off to work (he slept through everything). Maybe tomorrow I'll feel more like telling you how wonderful my dogs really are.
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