Midnight Adventures

The best time of day for me--other than morning--is, oddly enough, any given ungodly hour. 2:00 AM? Midnight? 3:30 AM? Bring it on!! For despite inevitable groggy eyes, I am alert, coherent, and, mentally, very much awake!! I could probably engage in conversation with somebody, even!! Okay, maybe not quite.... I credit this impressive skill to numerous past asthma attacks. Because I would be rudely awakened by coughing, wheezing within my chest, plus the occasional difficulty breathing. At any given ungodly hour!! I would be forced to crawl out of bed, walk down a hall, enter our kitchen and find my albuterol sulfate!! Not the steroid inhaler, which I use daily. No. My lungs do not need an overdose of Flovent!! Both inhalers are stored together on our kitchen counter. And they're different shades of the same color: red. Convenient.... A positive is that my steroid inhaler features this counter, so they do not feel the same to touch!! However, should I wake with an asthma attack, I obviously need to be aware of my surroundings at all times!! Since adopting Rose, we have experienced endless "midnight adventures"!! Vomiting whatever she ingested outside.... All over my bed. Cleaning accidents off the great room carpet because I slept through her wandering. Connecting Rose's leash, so I can "walk" my mongrel around our backyard for nature's call. I must be awake enough to use the correct inhaler. Alert enough for decision-making skills, such as: "Where will I sleep, now that Rose vomited on my sheets?" Aware enough to remove urine stains off our carpet. Wide-awake through pitch-black darkness, as Rose does her business. Two weeks ago, we entered a new saga in our midnight adventures. I threw out her flat, ragged, worn-down dog bed. So, on Thursday, May 12th, we replaced it with a plump, new "people" pillow. We even found this soft rose-print pillowcase to cover it with!! Plus a fleece blanket!! Rose seldom sprawled out upon her red and white floral-print dog bed. But rather, she would curl up into a "little ball". This new arrangement will work, right? Wrong!! She refused it completely at first!! My mongrel simply preferred the hard floors over that plump pillow!! Eventually, Rose adjusted.... For a brief time, anyway!! Initially, she would rest her head against it.... At least Rose knew which appropriate body part to place upon that pillow!! Which left the rest of my canine's body against the carpet!! Then we exchanged pillows.... I received hers, she got mine. Finally, Rose lie her entire body on it!! For she likes my scent.... Victory!! ....Right? Wrong again!! Rose wandered the house, aimlessly. She chose to lie against my bed, upon yesterday's pair of jeans. Rose stole Uncle Michael's couch.... At 4:30 AM. I "lost" her during another ungodly hour.... And found my girl snuggled cozily against our red great room couch cushion. Rose stole my bed..... Twice on one night. Whew!! During seven days, I only achieved one full night's sleep!! Toward the end of this adventure, I was growing pretty annoyed with Rose!! And emotional. Finally, we purchased my mongrel a new dual-sided dog bed!! Which, of course, she accepted instantly!!