Some Days You’re the Dog

Brrr. Even though it’s around 40 degrees this morning, I’m quite cold. That’s due in large part to this bus which is like sitting inside a refrigerator. At least having the computer in my lap generates some heat and helps a little.

It probably doesn’t help that I’m a little more than grumpy considering that I only got a few hours of sleep last night courtesy of Toby the Cat. I’ve never been inclined to willfully harm an animal in my life, but during the past five hours or so, I’ve thought about it – many times.
He screamed all night. Screamed. And screamed. No amount of food or comforting seemed to quiet him, at least not for very long. And of course his timing is perfect.

I was already tired. I spent the afternoon picking up leaves and determining that my plan for the columns on the porch was not going to work. Back to the drawing board on that one.

The leaf job was a lot more time-consuming than I anticipated, so it was all I could do to finish it before dark and still give myself enough time to load the car and drive across town to the dump before it closed at 5:30. (That’s actually a rough estimation of time, too, because the attendant is usually at the gate, ready to close it, by 5:20. So, if you aren’t inside at 5:20, you aren’t getting in.)

Then, the mother and I carried Christmas presents downstairs to the spot we’d cleared for them Saturday night. I unboxed the new super-duper Shop Vac I bought a few weeks ago and then carted out all of the excess trash so it wouldn’t be there for me to deal with this morning. Fun times.

So I’m tired, sore, cold and I just can’t wait to get to work. Yes, there’s a nice pile of dung lingering from Friday just waiting to greet me. Some days you’re the dog. Some days you’re the hydrant.

Today, I’m clearly the hydrant.