This morning was one of those mirror under the nose mornings. The last few days caught up with me. I woke up a few times during the night trying to find a spot for comfort in bed, but both dogs were deep asleep and had all the room. They didn’t budge. I did.

Last night we had thunder and lightning followed by heavy rain. The thunder was right over the house. The dogs sat up quickly and looked nervously around especially toward the ceiling. I put one arm around each of them, and they were fine.

I swear there was sun when I woke up, but it is cloudy and dark now though no rain is predicted. It is warm at 70°. I’ll be at home again today.

The dogs are okay. Nala is better at navigating. She has figured out how to go through tight spaces. Henry is just Henry.

When I was a kid, school around now was close to ending. We could barely contain ourselves. Time passed slowly. We didn’t do much in class, just took a few end of the year exams. I remember the music exam with a part of it about Gregorian chant. Yup, Gregorian chant!

The library and the post office were the coolest places in town during the summer. They were also the quietest. In the post office, people almost whispered as if afraid to break the silence. The clerk was behind an arched window. The floor was tiled and heels made noise. The library was usually quiet. The whirr of a fan was the only constant sound. The librarians whispered and spoke only at checkout. I used to like to sit at one of the wooden tables and read a bit before I rode home on my bike.

Summer was always filled with possibilities. I could walk to the pool and spend the day swimming just for the cost of a dime. At the end of my street was the field with the playground in one corner. I could take early morning tennis lessons, play softball and horseshoes. I could do crafts for the cost of materials. Everything else was free. I’d spend the morning, go home for lunch just up the hill then go back for the afternoon. I loved those days.

Yesterday was not the best of days. I was in the yard trying to retrieve something Nala stole. I heard her take it but didn’t see her booty. In the yard, she was doing her zoomies with an unknown object in her mouth. I tried to take it from her. She was playfully growling. Henry thought she was growling at me and attacked Nala. He was vicious. I tried to break them apart but not with my hand or fingers close to mouths. I learned that last fall. Henry had Nala’s ear. I whacked him but he didn’t care. The neighbor behind me called the dog officer, but by the time she came, I had separated them. I knew Nala needed the vets, but Henry too needed to be checked. The dog officer took Henry. I took Nala. The vets kept them all afternoon. Both were sedated, shaved and checked. Henry had only abrasions. Nala had both ears stitched, one inside, the other outside. She had a drain put on a puncture on her leg. She had abrasions on her chest. She walked out with a cone. Henry walked out just with abrasions. I walked out with three medications for each dog and a nearly $2000.00 bill, money I don’t have. They’ll let me pay in two installments, a grand gesture.

Last night was awful. Poor Nala couldn’t get comfortable. Every time she moved, I watched her. She’d sleep a bit then move. My body was contorted around her. When I woke up, my back was so bad I had to grab on to stuff to move.

Nala is not enjoying her cone, I have to hold her dishes so she can eat and drink. We both fell asleep this morning on the couch. I was sitting up. Nala was stretched across my lap. She is back asleep with her head resting on her cone. This will be a trying week to come.

Back to the mundane! Last night it rained, a heavy rain at times. Today is cloudy and damp but warmer than I expected.

As for my dance card, I am staying close to hearth and home to keep an eye on the dogs. Both of them are discombobulated and need some lovin’.

When I was a kid, our dog Duke got into a horrific fight with a dog from down the street. His neck was bitten open. My father said he’d be fine. Nature would take care of it. Just after that my father had to leave for a few days for work. My mother took Duke to the vets. He was stitched and given an antibiotic. When my father got home, he checked on Duke and saw the healing. He said to my mother, “See, I told you nature would take care of it.” My mother agreed.