My Father's Poems: April 9, 2022
Daily Diary, Day 587: After writing yesterday about what I might leave undone, I didn't get any more written, nor did I get my second walk in...it was just too hot––well up into the 90s until the sun went down. It was supposed to be cooler this morning, but by the time I was ready to walk, it was in the high seventies, so I decided to try again later in the day (when a cooling trend is supposed to start.)
I did actually get 100 words written this morning, but I don't know how productive I'm going for the rest of the day as it gets warmer inside, and I get sleepier. For the second night in a row, last night our dog Leeza couldn't settle, and my husband and I lost hours of sleep as she paced and whined.
Leeza is a three-year-old rescue dog (came to San Diego from Texas, pregnant, supposedly escaping from fires.) She eventually had ten puppies, followed by a number of health problems ,so she'd been in the local shelter for at least six months before they put her up for adoption. We've had her for about sixteen months, and, as has been our experience with past rescue dogs, we discovered that she has what you might call "baggage" from her previous life.
Besides being completely bonded to my husband--so that she doesn't like to let him out of her sight--she also feels it is her job to herd me. In the evening, according to her, I am supposed to stay in my chair. When I get up, she comes running from where ever she is so that she can nudge me back into the chair. It's clearly instinct, because if my movement wakes her up, she comes into the room growling, and then looks confused about why she's even up. I think she was a farm dog, probably part of a pack, and maybe even responsible for herding farm animals. She has gotten very excited about chickens and sheep on the TV. I figure my husband is the farmer, I'm one of the sheep. (smile)
The other behavior we've noticed is that in the evening, she can freak out if she smells something burning outside -- like someone grilling. She goes on full alert, ears back, tail down, running from front of the house to the back. She can't settle, or she will hide behind one of our chairs. I can't help but wonder if this is from her experience with the wild fires.
But we aren't sure what has been going on the past two nights, except that for the first time since last fall, we have had the windows open at night, and night sounds or smells might be upsetting her. I am hoping she will get acclimated to this quickly, so we can all get some sleep, and I can feel more productive.
In short, any writing I get done today I will count as a win!
Leeza, of course, doesn't worry about such things, but is busy sleeping peacefully.