Another Too Early Start

These dogs are going to be the death of me. I was fast asleep and dreaming, no doubt I could've stayed fast asleep and dreaming had Sweet Pea not barged in the room at three o'clock and started her incessant whining. Really? I shooed her out of the room and shut the door behind her. Too late. Tucker was up and wanted out. Someone shoot me...please! The thought occurred to me then that it might possibly be snowing-the overnight forecast said we had a fifty percent chance of snow. So, fine, I dragged my weary self out of bed, tugged on slippers and pulled my robe from the hook on the back of the bathroom door, sludged my way to the porch door to let Pain in the Butts #'s 1 and 2 outside, looked up at the frozen dark sky...nothing. Not so much as a flake or flurry. Fantastic. Slid back inside to the kitchen and turned the coffee pot on while I went scrounging for my morning materials: Bible, journal, laptop. Sigh...another long day...

It would be great if I was cognizant enough at three a.m. to actually do something productive, but no one is cognizant enough for any serious thought at so early in the day, er, night...I mostly space out, brain frozen like the sky, not even a flake of thought fluttering about, nothing getting in, nothing getting out. Even coffee has trouble penetrating...it just hurts, physically hurts, being awake in the dark. I'm tired! This is not productive time for me and non-productive time is wasted time which in turn creates cranky time, very much a downward spiral for the day.

Three hours later I'm finally capable of doing something. I've finished my reading and journaling, perused several blogs and jammed a few more ideas into my head of things I want to do (oh, that list is frightening!), filled out menus for the weekend and corresponding grocery list, checked the Butler calendar for adventures to fill the day since dear sweet child o'mine (to be read slightly sarcastically as he's been up arguing with me for a while now...ugh!) is home from school for Veterans Day and a bored whiny child does not mix well with a tired cranky mom so Distractions! are the key for the day. Oatmeal is simmering on the stove and Zumba follows shortly thereafter...maybe. Skipped the workout yesterday from feeling like a squashed roadkill squirrel...today's not feeling much better. We'll see on that mark.

I think we are heading to Portersville today to check out a Christmas Open House at Nicolette's Tailor and Gift Shop. I have no idea where Portersville is, the map shows it close to McConnell's Mill and Moraine--two of my favorite places here, so even if Nicolette's bombs, we're right smack close to something cool anyway. I'm just a sucker for groovy little gift shops and Christmas Open Houses...nothing like sparking the spirit a little early! (Sticking tongue out at all the early Christmas scrooges!) (Okay...that's from being up too early today...sorry)

So, to all the veterans and those currently serving our country at home and overseas, I offer a huge thank you for your service and sacrifice that allows the rest of us to sleep (albeit however shortly) peacefully in warm beds at night and enjoy all the freedoms we so readily take for granted.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

~John 15:13

A verse doodle I did yesterday--not crazy about the bottom flower, but it can only get better with practice...