August 1st, suddenly I am wide awake, not the usual groggy fight into conciousness, but fully awake. I look at the clock, 5.50am, too early to get up but my bladder says “get up now” so I shuffle to the bathroom and answer nature’s call.
As I wash my hands I glance into the mirror, not a good idea! There is a wrinkled hag looking back at me, her hair looks like a fistful of straw and she has deep lines etched round her eyes and mouth. I take my morning pills but they do nothing to improve the reflection in the mirror. As I pass by the bed there is a large mass under the sheet, it is purring gently so I do not disturb it.
Both dogs follow me into the kitchen where Rosie the cat already awaits me. First things first, I put on the kettle for tea, then feed the cat. The fishy smell of her canned food is nauseating but she obviously loves it. So do both dogs who stand by and wait for her leftovers. I mix a bit of warm water with her food, making a stomach turning mess in her dish, she is fifteen and likes it that way.
While she is eating I administer her thyroid medication. It is squeezed out onto the finger of a plastic glove and then rubbed inside of her ear. Whoever came up with this simple way to medicate a cat should get the Nobel Peace prize. Anyone who knows the joys of trying to get a pill down a cat’s throat, will agree to this.
Two eager dogs are standing by waiting for her to finish her breakfast. When she finally does I give the empty dish to one dog, let her run her tongue round it then pass the dish to the second dog. There is nothing in the dish but a smear but both dogs are happy that they get to share in the morning bounty. They then each get two biscuits and follow me out to feed the birds.
I have a concrete area where I put down the seed and then I fill the feeder which hangs outside the kitchen window. Feeling a bit like mother duck, I then tour the yard, with two dogs and a cat in tow, turning on the various sprinklers that irrigate the flowers. Our yard is mainly gravel which digs into my feet through the flimsy slippers I am wearing as I do this morning chore. The tomato pots are not in the sprinkling system, nor are some saplings that I have in various pots, waiting for number four daughter to take to her new house. These were volunteers that I dug out a couple of months ago and now need to be in her yard, not mine. Meanwhile I have to drag out the hose to attend to them, usually managing to get my feet wet.
After my tour of duty I finally stagger back to the kitchen, rewash my hands and take my tea out onto the deck. The sun has made its appearance over Mount Baldy and the yard is now flooded with warmth which I luxuriate in while I sip my tea. Both dogs and cat are now doing a second tour of the yard, disturbing various birds and a squirrel which is angrily chatting at them from up a walnut tree. I sit and think how lucky I am to live in this beautiful area, it is my idea of heaven and having the garden all to myself for a while is marvellous. The words from the hymn, Morning has Broken, flood into my mind, it must have been written on a day like this, by a person feeling as I do now.
I am enjoying the tranquility, feeling very close to God and nature when the peace is suddenly broken by a long, loud blast. It sounds like a ferry coming in to dock, but no, it is Dave’s digestive system sending out the morning call. Our bedroom window opens on to the deck and his blast from the past is the results of overeating at the Chinese restaurant last night.
Several minutes later and out staggers Dave, he looks worse than I did with the lines of sleep deeply etched into his face. Being a good wife, I pour him some tea and he gives me his morning grunt as he opens his computer to catch up on with what is going on in the world.
The peace of my morning ritual in the garden is over. A couple walk their dog past the house and my dogs immediately go into a barkfest. The day is started, chores are waiting and life goes on but for a little while I was Eve in my own Garden of Eden. Thankyou God for the beauty and peace of the early morning, I will talk to you again tomorrow.