Thursday, June 15, 2006

The World Is On Her Ass

By nature, I'm a nighthawk. Always have been, since I was a kid. On school field trips, parents would grrr at me because I wasn't asleep - just lying in bed awake.

And seeing the world at 10 am on a Saturday morning? Never.

As a teenager, that changed because I worked. I had no choice. But, in my core being, I was still a nighthawk. Never much of a morning person.

I learned to cope with mornings when I had jobs that required me to get up early. In fact, I learned to love mornings. There was something about the pre-dawn quiet that was invigorating.

Yes, I learned to love the mornings. I reprogrammed myself. And part of it was the need to survive in marriage, because I didn't kick Kevin to the curb when I found out he liked to get up, voluntarily, at 5 am so he could work early.

I mean, he sets his own hours and chooses to do this. Insane, or what?

Somehow, I actually made mornings really work for me. I used to get up between 4 and 5 every day. Last year, a typical morning saw me exercising, gardening, emails handled, showered, dressed, breakfast done and down to work on my writing by 9 am.

Of course, then Kevin messed with my schedule a bit more and I'm having the worst time, trying to drag myself out of bed.

Part of it is the fire department. Tuesday night's a classic example. Kevin was at fire practice. I finally went to bed when he wasn't home around 10 pm. He came home around 11:30, because they'd been doing a controlled burn.

It was after 1 am when the light show started. Wow, had I forgotten just how vicious prairie thunderstorms can be. KABOOM, over and over again, the light and sound so close together, I knew it was just a matter of time...

Before the power went out. Which is when Kevin's radio went off with the tones for the fire department.

And he was jumping out of bed to get dressed and go.

He got home around 3. Neither of us was particularly happy to hear the alarm clock go off at 5. And I had edits to do, so I couldn't go back to bed.

I need some cure for my sleeping woes. Kevin doesn't like it when I sleep on the couch, but man, at least I get to sleep!

And I need to actually spend some time dealing with the yard, except it's been raining a lot lately. Last year, I dug out a flower bed and tried planting. A few things actually survived. This year, the rhubarb is already growing like a weed, and the weeds are overtaking the flowerbed, but a few things returned, so I was impressed.

Still, the yard is one big mess. And what I've got pictured below isn't even the whole yard.

And it's mid June. And I'm going back to bed.

Maybe the world will be back on her feet tomorrow.

I've had something added to my website, but it works with quicktime. If you have quicktime, you shouldn't need to do anything, it'll just run, but if anyone checks it out and has problems, I'd appreciate the heads up. Thanks.

Oh, and for an absolutely hilarious take on the use of language in books, catch up on Cornelia Read's post this week, if you haven't already. Cornelia Rocks!






18 comments:

JT Ellison said...

I envy you a green thumb, I manage to kill everything I touch, except for two african violets that I've had blooming for going on 8 years. Don't ask!
The jardain looks beautiful! Get some sleep.

DesLily said...

holey moley.... big yard! But hey, long as the grass is mowed... as they say "the rest can wait".. hope you had a good nap!... now get writing! heh

angie said...

Oh, the yardwork can wait. Huge yard, though. Makes me tired to think about having to take care of something that big. We're in the middle of a multi-year drought, so I gave up on doing anything with my yard long ago. Besides, everything I planted got eaten or trampled by the javelinas.

Checked out the quicktime snippet you've got at the front end of your website. Nice...not too long, the water sounds worked too - creepy w/o being intrusive.

Stephen Blackmoore said...

That's a mess? My backyard looks like war torn Europe since we got the dogs last year. Holes, dirt and little patches of struggling green looking around like teeny-boppers in a slasher flick.

And I recommend giving up sleep altogether. Really, who needs it?

Sandra Ruttan said...

JT, I have a black thumb I painted green. Sometimes, the original colour comes shining through!

DesLily, ha! Writing can wait. I have Spinetingler stuff to edit, and a book to read and review.

Angie, thanks for the feedback re: the site. Seems to be hit and miss - works for some, not for others.

As to the yard work, unfortunately, living in a village, if you don't do it, people notice. And since we have the nicest yard in town (courtesy of the original owner, whose name was Sandra) and one of the biggest, people bug us if it isn't picture-perfect.

And did you see those giant weeds growing by the lilac bushes and in my flower beds? The yard needs work!

But there's always next year, I suppose.

Stephen, I will take the suggestion to give up sleep into consideration. NOT!

Erik Ivan James said...

Nice yard Samdra. Private and nice.
I'm up by 4 a.m. every day, including weekends. But then, I'm in bed by about 8 p.m...with a book, of course.

JamesO said...

I've always been a night person, though I had a hard time explaining that to my parents when I was younger.

Apparently you can reprogram your circadian rhythm with judicious applications of daylight at the right times. Can't quite see the point myself - there's something very satisfing about sitting at the computer in the wee small hours hammering out my strange thoughts. The only problem is that I live on a farm and everyone else is up and about and driving tractors a couple of hours after I've gone to bed.

And that's a great garden, Sandra. I'm insanely jealous. You've got a bigger shed than me, too.

Sandra Ruttan said...

Hey Erik! Nice to see you, I know you've been super busy lately. 4 am? Wow. Gone are those days for me!

James, I don't know if I can see the point, either, except didn't you say The Horse Doctor thinks you should get up with she does? Doesn't that make it hard?

Don't be jealous. That old shed is falling to bits. Most of our stuff is in the garage, which is on the side of the yard I didn't photograph - it's a disaster. Our weed wacker's broken and until Kevin fixes it, there are some areas between the dog pen and the garage we can't really get at. Annoying as hell.

Sandra Ruttan said...

And, of course, my answer to that Boy Kim is that I'm inappropriately not.

(Let's see how long it takes you to get that.)

anne frasier said...

sandra, if i have to be anywhere at the butt crack of dawn -- AKA 9:00 am -- i always figure there's no point in even going to bed the night before.

Unknown said...

I'm not a morning person either but I play one on tv...ha ha. Well actually having kids I have to get up at 6:45 in the morning...bleah! Awesome yard too...I'm jealous. I will say I do have a kinda green thumb. When we moved in I put in a number of new garden beds...5 to be exact. Two for herbs, one for vegatables and two for flowers. Course right now the weeks are having a party. It's been raining so much I just haven't been able to catch up. And of course the caterpillars are eating the plants. Why can't they just eat the weeds? And weed wacker? We gave up on that...just kept breaking. Now I use garden sheers...wheeeee! Needless to say I don't keep up with it.

Sandra Ruttan said...

Gee Anne, I should just adopt that policy. Why didn't I think of that at Harrogate last year? That actually might work! Although I fell asleep last year during Ruth Rendell as it was. Jetlag.

Andrea, I'm hopeless and I can't keep up. Our yard is too big to use sheers alone. I'd no sooner finish than I'd have to start again!

Steve Allan said...

You morning people sicken me. I hate mornings. Hate them. Nothing good ever comes from them, they're nothing but trouble. None of the good TV shows are on in the morning. And getting up in the morning usually means work. I actually shave the night before so I can get a couple of extra minutes of sleep in the morning. I even have my wife drive us to work so I can sleep for the twenty minutes it takes us to get to the University. I'm a night person, and I'll always be that way.

Anonymous said...

Never get up at 4am. That is not early morning it would count as still middle of the night.

Bonnie S. Calhoun said...

I'd much rather be a night owl also! I'm usually up til at least 2:30 or 3 AM, but I sleep in til 8:30...LOL

Hey...did you know that Lee Child's name is really James Grant?

Unknown said...

I love mornings! Everything is special about them: the noises, the smells, the colors in the sky and the subtle shadows that the dawn creates. I am a morning person. I will let my husband read this, though, as he is not a morning person and thinks he can never be one. I think you are right when you say you can program yourself to be a morning person. Enjoy your morning!!!

Anonymous said...

I thought my puter wasn't working cause nothing came up but it just took a while to download. Really cool. Very understated but really gets the message across. I'm impressed.

I don't think I'm naturally a morning person but having to work for a living has decided it for me. If I had a choice I'd be going to bed late, waking up normally, and have a siesta. This is my routine when I have some time off. Why can't I live in Spain (without having so speak Spanish)?

Sandra Ruttan said...

Steve, too funny! I know what you mean! Eileen, I wish I didn't have to. Boy, some days, do I ever wish I didn't have to!

Bonnie, no, I didn't know that. Wild.

TRW, thanks - the feedback is helpful. I haven't been sure if I should keep it, or if I should make it an option to click on.

Mike, we've had too much rain for brown. Check back in three or four weeks when we'll be in a drought...

Tanginika, I do believe you can, and mornings are beautiful. They're also just painful some days, like lately!

Amra, I'm all for siestas. I could live what that system, happily!