When the Morning Comes

Inspirational song: Pet Parade (Hoyt Axton)

I've never been a morning person, though at times I wished to be. I can remember being on my grandmother's screened porch just after sunrise, in late August, when the mornings were finally getting cool again, thinking about how nice it would be to be able to rise so early every day. The light is incredible at that time of day, and when I am up early on a misty, humid morning, and I can smell wet grass, I am transported to that porch, listening to the marching band percussion section start band camp a week before the rest of us did. The band practiced two blocks from our house (we moved into it when my grandparents downsized), and the sound of a drum cadence is one of the most evocative sensory inputs I have ever experienced. I am instantly transported to some of the happiest memories of my life. 

With the man several time zones away, my sleep schedule is variable. I had to stay up until well past one this morning to discuss the phone bill with him, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep late today. That, of course, is impossible now. The old man cat plays rooster in this house, walking the halls at dawn, screaming loudly in his Siamese voice, while dementia plays tricks on his mind. This wakes the rabble-rouser, who wrestles with the old man when he finds us, shaking the bed so that I couldn't sleep late if I tried. If I make a sound to tell them to knock it off, the red-headed dog wakes and notices how small his bladder is. I have no choice but to get up and follow the rippling waves of tails streaming down the stairs. I could be grumpy when I wake (I usually am), but it is very difficult to stay in a bad mood in the middle of a pet parade. It is a lot of work to care for this many animals, but the rewards are great. Let people call me a crazy cat lady. Just don't ask me to wear ugly sweater vests.

I don't want to go anywhere today, but my schedule is full all day. I appreciate that I have many people watching out for me, making sure that I am not moping while I'm on my own. But I don't think they realize that their combined efforts are keeping me so busy I can't get everything done in good time. There's definitely no time to lie around and enjoy the beautiful morning light. I'll leave that to the kids in the fur coats.