This is your life!

It's 4:30 am. Why am I awake? The dog had to go out. Not really my dog, by the way. A very old, very small, ratty looking thing - cute in a mangey sort of way. Why am I letting the dog out? Why is she waking me up in the middle of a beautiful sound sleep, you ask? I guess I'm a soft touch. It's really a long story for another post at a time when I am not aching to get back to bed.

So the dog needs to go out. Out she goes, after doing her "spinning-like-a-top" routine. Keep in mind that the dog is so old and feeble she can't climb down the stairs on her own. Or maybe she is just afraid, so she won't. Then, after doing her business, she needs persistant coaxing to climb back up onto the porch, where I unhook her lead. How high is the front porch? There is one step, yes - one! She could easily step up on to the step, then onto the porch. She does not. She prances and whines, steps back and forth, until finally she gets up the gumption to leap the 8 inches directly onto the porch, clearing the step altogether. All the while, I'm coaxing and calling, "Come on, Girl! Let's Go! You can do it!" And while this is happening, the cat, who is bigger than the dog and delights in taunting her, is just off to the side, staring her down, ready to take an intimidating swipe at her innocent prey.

Sh'e done it. Her lead is unhitched, and now it's the encouragement to climb the steps inside. "Up you go!," I say again and again. Finally she trots up the 8 steps, this time without incident. (Sometimes she stumbles and misses a step, almost tumbles back down, catches herself at the last possible second, and acts, when she arrives at the top, like she has just saved her own life.)

So the dog is back inside. I am feeling just a bit less annoyed. Maybe I can get some more sleep.