Why Am I Up at 4:40 AM; Rain; Dreaming; Outdoors

Reason #1 - The cats woke me wanting an early breakfast
Reason #2 - I was cold which gave me a headache
Reason #3 - I got up, fed the cats, turned on the heat, had a glass of ice tea and a cupcake, and took two prescription headache pills

Believe it or not, it has actually rained twice this week.

Sunday evening it began showering around 10 and rained until Monday afternoon. But the temperature did not drop, so it was clammy and unpleasant.

Yesterday, sometime after midnight, a light mist started that was so quiet that I didn't notice it until I opened my bedroom window. (I usually open the bedroom window slightly before bedtime to allow for a wee bit of air circulation.)

The mist slowly turned to a mizzle (a new word I just learned), one that sounds more like electronic static than rain. A slight hissing that seems to fade in and out of hearing. Oh - a mizzle is a very light rain; stronger than mist but less than a shower.

I found myself waking up several times last night with wretched dreams to the point that when I finally awoke, it was 10:30. The dreams were all about anger and unbridled emotional fury. Very Freudian. Since I felt very tired, I went back to sleep and finally, finally got up around 1 in the afternoon.

I knew I need some outdoor activity, so with rake and pitchfork in hand, I decided to rake part of the front yard. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. However, a pitchfork load of wet pine straw weighs a couple of tons.

Next, I moved to the back yard, carefully trying to avoid the yellow jackets. I never could decided the exact location of their nest. So I spent about 45 minutes clipping branches from the hedge row which has grown into an intertwined mess. Where there used to be a single row, there is now a thicket of plants about ten feet across. And the plants are spindly and very thick with greenery about 15 feet up. After lots of snipping and chopping, I had three garbage containers of small sliced limbs.

Since I was not finished with the front, I did another couple of sections, so I'd say it's about 60% complete.

After I'd come in, I noticed the new owners of the Saturn installing a battery. As he backed it out of the drive, I was almost sad to see it go. And I immediately wondered if I could have gotten more for it. But I know they are not wealthy; both husband and wife have two jobs. Even the teenage daughter has a job after school.

PAX!