I do, however, love my mornings, especially in spring, summer and fall. I like to go outside with my coffee and my Bible, wipe the dew or raindrops off my anti-gravity lawn chair, watch the sun rise, and listen to the birds sing. I usually do this even before I check in on the Internet, which shows you what a high priority my mornings hold.
Iris hangs out nearby, enjoying my mornings with me, occasionally placing a ball in my lap in hopes I'll throw it for her.
Cliff can be found in bed during these times, sound asleep. He works nights, you know. That's a good thing, because I really don't want my mornings interfered with.
The 3:30 to midnight shift always worked perfectly for him: he'd be in bed by 1 A.M. and awake by 8 o'clock, having hours ahead of him to
I can't say his current shift works out so well: he still leaves at 2:30 P.M., but he doesn't get home until 3 A.M. He has trouble staying in bed for seven hours; if I'd let him, he'd be trying to get by on about four hours of sleep. But I know he needs to get more rest than that, and I nag him to go back to sleep when he rises too early. It's my job, you know. Nagging.
The upside of this grueling schedule of his is that he only has to work four days a week. He and I both wonder at times if the payoff is worth it.
When Cliff was off work for three months after open heart surgery, his hours changed to my hours. That was fine with me; I was just glad he was alive and kicking! And any other time he's been off work very long, he becomes an early riser along with me.
But he isn't a true early bird, because he goes straight to his recliner for about two hours, no matter when he gets up. Cliff likes to wake up slowly, sipping coffee and watching the news and surfing Craigslist. He misses the loveliest part of the day sitting in the house!
During his work week we end up going for our walk at 11:30 in the morning. We've having a heat wave plus high humidity in Missouri, so it's a sauna out there by that time; believe me when I say we walk very slowly.
When Cliff retires, he'll probably be awake at 6 A.M. every day. I will adjust my schedule so that I make his coffee and oatmeal first, and then go outside and do my thing while he does his sitting in the Lazy-boy. That should work just fine.
Adjustments must be made when an early bird marries a night owl.
Speaking of early birds, I took a video of one (mockingbird, I think?) this very morning. Click HERE if you want to see the action; he was really showing off with his singing; and notice the high jump he does at the beginning of the video.
Oh great: now instead of a pesky fingerprint on my lens, I have an ugly dot. Dear Lord, how do I manage to get into these messes?
