Tuesday, January 06, 2009

This and that

Yesterday Cliff started his new schedule, working four ten-hour days per week. If you count his commute time and add in the half-hour for lunch, he's actually gone twelve hours. I woke up briefly when he was crawling into bed at 3:45 A.M. Here's hoping he's able to sleep at least until 10 o'clock this morning.

I know it seems like a terrible schedule, but here's the thing: If it doesn't work out for Cliff and Tony (the guy he rides to work with) they can go right back to the old schedule. Cliff feels it's worth giving up a couple of hours at home per day in order to get a whole extra day off each week. The hours, though, are pretty atrocious. So we shall see. When I got up this morning I woke Sadie up and carried her bed into the living room, shutting the bedroom door behind me.

Sadie has all sorts of insecurities that make me laugh: One that really puzzles me is her irrational fear of the furnace. Because of this, I can't put her bed near a furnace grate: the minute the furnace lights (and it lights so quietly, I don't hear it... but she does), she's out of there; let's not even talk about when the fan starts blowing warm air! One would assume she'd get used to it, but she hasn't. Strange thing is, the air conditioner blowing through the same grates doesn't bother her at all. Go figure.

Surfing across the Internet, I read that coyotes are killing dogs just across the Missouri/Kansas line. Now that's scary! I used to see coyotes and hear them howling out here all the time. These days, not so much. I guess they moved to Johnson County, Kansas. I once wrote a poem about a coyote:

THE COYOTE
Donna Wood

In the pasture, on a hill,
A coyote stands, alert and still.
He fixes me with stony stare,
As if I shouldn't trespass there.
I've heard him howl, with all his clan,
While darkness creeps across the land.
My house is not that far away,
And yet, the coyote families play.
(Civilized, we well may be,
But coyotes roam here, wild and free;
And when a train goes whistling by
I hear their eerie victory cry.)
He looks awhile; then trots away:
While I stand watching, he won't stay.
But in the twilight he'll be here ---
For I've had poultry disappear

As I sat typing this post, I happened to remember the cordless phone in the bedroom and retrieved it. That's something else I'll have to learn to do on a daily basis, with a day sleeper around. Or maybe there's a way to turn off the ringer?

I guess that's all the random stuff I have this morning. Have a great day!

11 comments:

  1. My neighbor is a nurse and has been on the 10-hour/4-Day schedule for years. Loves it. My brother is in criminal justice work. He works 4 12-hour days on with 4 days off. Equals out to half a year's work. He's not exactly crazy about his work but he sure loves the time off. He and his wife, who has fairly flexible hours, travel all over the world for a month or so at a time.

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  2. Anonymous7:20 AM

    Sadie sounds like a hoot.

    I like your poem.

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  3. I've worked those shifts, and my hubby works a rotating shift.....first day off goes to recoup time(the older we have gotten)just sayin........
    loopy inna mood

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  4. It will be nice to have a 3 day weekend, but will probably take some getting used to the new schedule. Good luck keeping things quiet around there.
    'On Ya'-ma

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  5. I get tickled at Patches sometimes when the heat is on she goes over to the wall vent like she is looking to see where the warm air is coming from.
    Those coyotes do kill dogs around here as well as calves. Now some people are saying they have spotted wolves and hyenas. I have heard that the State has turned some hyena's loose. Why do people turn dangerous animals loose where there are other animals and cattle? Their reasoning was to kill off some of the deer. Common sense will tell you that cattle are in danger also and well as pets and people. Why not just extend the deer season instead? Helen
    Cute poem you wrote. Helen

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  6. My son lost his first puppy to a coyote. We were heartbroken.
    I hope Cliff adjusts to the new schedule. When I worked 12's I would be away from home for at least 14 hours...sometimes more. Then, my first day off was trying to recuperate. I like my 8's. It's not killing me.

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  7. Gyah! I hate the coyotes around here. They pick off the cats and the neighbor's chickens...though they didn't have the hens in a coop.
    Your coyote poem is beatiful. I hope your husband likes his new shift and adjusts well.

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  8. Anonymous9:53 AM

    I very much agree with giving a few hours up a day to get the extra day off, IF, the extra work doesn't just wipe him out to the point of exhaustion...some jobs are harder than others.
    I love Sadie :-)

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  9. Oh dear I hope those coyotes stay in KS, Donna! Poor Louie, could you just imagine?

    I'm empathizing with you on the job schedule--John teaches at a local college three evenings a week right after work. So...we don't see much of him on those days. Thankfully I homeschool so I can allow Alex to stay up long enough to greet him. xo

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  10. I hope his schedule works out and that he's not too tired to enjoy his day off. Our dog has his quirks, but ya gotta love em. Take care and enjoy your today,
    Katie

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  11. I saw on Facebook that Cliff was up and feeling fit, so I hope the rest of the week goes well. Thomas has done the four 10-hour days before and liked them. It would save on gas and lunch expenses I guess. LOVED that poem!!

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