Perpetual Ruminations

Saturday

Sometimes it's just difficult to adjust, even to good changes. Today was like that, and it's still kind of got me off kilter to some degree. It started yesterday, even though the change actually took two weeks ago. The change I'm speaking of is in our work schedule. Normally, and for a long time now, I have worked Saturday mornings. When we revamped our schedule after the last person was hired, I ended up switching around with my wife, who also works at the same site. Now, she opens and works the long shift on Saturday, I do a six hour seven to eight hour shift through the afternoon.

On a typical, summer Saturday, it's busy so I would be starting work at a quarter to ten in the morning and then work straight through until five in the afternoon, unless it's still busy, then I stay until six. But, if it's slow, I don't have to go in until it gets busy. That's the way it's going today, nice and slow. In fact, it's been so slow, I may not have to go in until noon, if at all. But, since Saturdays tend to be the busiest day of the week, It would be wise to go in at noon and just stay the afternoon. Today this is especially true, since Rhonda is giving an interview this afternoon.

Yesterday, after I returned home, I was still thinking in terms of the old schedule that had me opening on Saturday. It's been so long that I have, it's difficult to just think I'm getting up and going to work before the sun rises. So, we had a light dinner, then watched a little M.A.S.H. on Netflix before turning in for the night. I took  few minutes before turning in to get my stuff ready, since I was thinking I would be out the door about quarter after four the next morning.

Then, it was up the stairs, set the alarm and get into bed. Rhonda was brushing her hair out, and then slid in next to me. We talked a few minutes, then she said she needed to give the dogs their bed-time snacks and get to sleep since she had to get up and go to work in the morning. It wasn't until she said it, that it registered in my brain that I did not have to go in this morning.

Even though this brought a pleasant surprise, it did little to drive the sleepiness from me. I had been up since three that morning after a very restless and sleepless night, and I was exhausted. Within a few minutes, the snacks were gone and the two dogs were in their favorite sleeping spots. Rhonda turned the lamp off, and we snuggled close as we drifted off to sleep.

I was sound asleep in minutes, and woke after what felt like hours. I opened my eyes and noticed it was light outside the window. Not bright, but dim light shown outside the bedroom window. I had been sleeping deeply and it did not register correctly, so to my semi-conscious  mind, it was early morning, the sun not quite up, but high enough to bring that predawn glow to the landscape below.

Struggling to understand, my mind tried to explain why it was getting light outside. I should be at work by now, but the alarms had not sounded -- or had they?

I got up, feeling a slight panic as my mind tried to convince me I was late for work. But, then I thought it was my day off and I was sleeping in. No! My  subconscious mind yelled out of the fog in my head, it's not your day off it's Saturday and you have overslept. About that Same time I remembered I did not have to work, but Rhonda did.

I was starting to walk to her side of the bed, to wake her gently, but quickly. I needed to tell her we had overslept, then get downstairs to the phone and call in. At this point, my mind again grasp that something wasn't right; if Rhonda had not arrived at work, someone would have called by now. How come I didn't here the phone?

I was still too far gone into the fog of deep sleep to understand all of this, but it needed to be clarified. I returned to my side of the bed, sat down, and turned on my netbook. I use it as an alarm clock since it has a fully programmable alarm app I downloaded to it. At night, I just turn the screen off and when the alarm sounds any touch to any of the keys illuminates the screen. Then, a tap to the space-bar and the alarm is turned off.

With the screen lit up, I could see the time, it was after nine. Surely someone would have called a few times by now. Being a bit more awake, I understood that I may have not put my work phone out where I would hear it, but if they did not get an answer they would have called the home phone, and that would not only wake me, but Rhonda as well. No, there had been no call, so there had to be more to this than what was registering. I needed to see what day it was.

I had not come to the conclusion yet that it was still Friday evening, but had instead continued to have thoughts on it being one of my days off. Perhaps I had dreamed something about having the day off, I don't recall, but the thought was there, and it continued to haunt my groggy mind. I was now about half out of the fog and swiped down my screen, revealing the little bar at the bottom. There was the time, and when I touched it, the day and date appeared just above my finger. Friday, 6/5/2015.

This absorbed more quickly into my mind since I was now about half, maybe even three-quarters awake. It was not time to get up, I had only been alseep for about an hour and a half. I turned the screen back off and was about to let myself tip over and then lift my feet back on to the bed when another sensation pushed into my awareness -- I had to pee. Reluctantly I got up and took care of this minor inconvenience, then I was back into bed, snuggle up to Rhonda, put one arm under her neck the other over her side, pulled into her a little tighter, and then I was back asleep.

This morning when her alarm went off, I remembered I did not have to get up yet. She let me sleep until she was about ready, then woke me gently. I got up feeling great, the first real deep sleep I had gotten for some time. We had a cup of coffee together, then I took her to work and returned home. I've been enjoying my morning off. I made eggs and toast for myself, as well as one egg and a piece of toast for each of my four legged family members, then it was coffee on the patio. They didn't have coffee, although Hannah has tried to get her muzzle into my cup a few time. Not only would it not be good for either of them, but the one thing Hannah does not need is caffeine!

While enjoying coffee, I also enjoyed my Kindle out on the patio. I downloaded an app for You-tube and one for Netflix while I listened to the birds sing. After the downloads completed, I started You-tube, found some Garry Rafferty and started one of his albums, turned down low enough it did not block out the sweet songs of the birds. With soft music playing, birds singing, and two dogs lying by my feet, I relaxed with my coffee.

After a while, it cooled down, the wind picked up some, and the sky grew darker. I had been enjoying a partly cloudy sky, but it turned gray and dark as i watched. I finished my coffee, then put plants in to protect them from any storms that may happen along, and came inside to get online for a little while, before work.

Speaking of work,it's time to get ready, and then drive in. Rhonda called earlier, it's slow and I don't have to go in until noon, but I want to stop at the Post Office before I drive in to work.

"Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free."