Sometimes, no matter how hard I try to be positive and have an upbeat outlook, it seems like the Universe is out to just beat the shit out of me.
Three weeks ago yesterday I was excited. Sampson had had his second ultrasound which indicated the mass on his adrenal hadn’t changed. I picked him up from the vet, brought him home and gave both dogs their walks. I went downstairs to share the news with my mom and discovered she had fallen. She told me she needed to go to the hospital, so I brought her over and it turns out she fractured her foot and some ribs.
She came home in a walking boot.
Hey Universe, I got this.
The hospital had given her dinner, so I got her set for the night and went upstairs.
All was quiet on the home front until just before bedtime. That’s when the wind picked up and we lost power.
Sitting in the dark we heard, “Beep…Beep…Beep”
And then the power came back on.
“What was that beeping?” I asked Hubby.
He didn’t know, so we closed up shop for the night.
I’m a pretty light sleeper, hearing everything that goes bump in the night, so I use a noise fan.
I went to bed, read for a bit and shut off the light. I was just snuggling down and drifting off to sleep when the power went out again.
Which means the house got quiet.
Hey Universe, I got this.
Beep….Beep….Beep. There it was again, coming from the den, right next to my bedroom. I got up and using that handy cell phone flashlight, headed into the den, following the sound.
It was a battery back-up for the computer. I slipped the switch from on to off.
Beep…beep.
Screw you battery back-up! I unplugged it.
And I went back to bed.
Except now it was so quiet, I could hear the wind whipping through the trees and the rain hammering on the windows.
I have a little travel sound machine that runs on batteries. I got up, went out to the kitchen with my cell phone flashlight and went to the battery drawer.
SQUEAK, the damn drawer squeaked. It was very loud in a quiet house. I paused, waiting to see if Hubby would wake up and come charging out thinking I was an intruder.
That’s when I heard it from downstairs.
“JODE.”
“What?” I yelled back. Then stopped, expecting Hubby to answer me.
Nothing.
I abandoned the open drawer and headed downstairs.
“Did you call me?” I called into the blackness of Mom’s apartment.
“Yes, I’m stuck on the toilet.”
(You can’t make this shit up.)
Yup, mom got up to use the bathroom and the power went out. She was afraid to get up because she couldn’t see a thing. (She now has a flashlight on her walker, just in case).
Hey Universe, I got this.
I helped mom get back to bed, went back upstairs, got the batteries for my sound machine, and got it started up.
I’ve heard so many people say they had dogs who had thunder phobias that lessened as they aged (mostly because of hearing loss). I have the opposite problem. Sampson never had an issue with thunder until recently, so when the first clap of thunder rolled over the house, Sampson came trotting into the bedroom.
Panting.
No problem Universe, I got this one too.
What’s a dog mom to do? He didn’t want to climb on the bed, so I grabbed a blanket (Delilah had the comforter) and a pillow, put the sound machine down next to my head and laid down on the floor with Sampson.
I could smell dust. Damn it, I’ll have to talk to that lazy housekeeper and let her know she needs to vacuum.
She lays on the floor one time. ONE TIME, and she complains about dust. She should see her housekeeping from my perspective.
Sampson and I lay there, with my hand stroking his head, until he finally calmed down. And then I sneezed.
Which freaked him out all over again.
It’s okay Universe, I got this.
I finally got him calmed down. AGAIN.
This whole sequence of events started about 11:30 PM. Finally, about 2:30 AM, the last clap of thunder shook the house and then it was still.
And then the power came back on.
Sampson was quietly sleeping on the floor, I got up, plugged the battery back-up back in, turned the real noise fan on and squeezed my way onto the bed.
Apparently the Universe has a sense of humor.
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Oh jeez!!! What a night! Both of my dogs are like that with Thunder and Fireworks… Also, I’m so sorry about your mom! How awful! I hope you have an awesome weekend and it’s less eventful for you!
Good Lord Jodi. What a night. I hope mom is okay and you caught up on some much needed sleep. The universe needs to say “I got this” for once.
What a night! I think the universe had the wisdom to give Mom an easy dog like me. She mostly freaks out and has NEVER “got this.”
Love and licks,
Cupcake
There are some nights where Mom says she knows someone higher than her decided to keep her up all night and accept the fact she will be dead tired the entire next day. Your poor mom. Hope she is doing alright. As for the thunder, Katie developed the fear later in life, but then has gone almost deaf and nothing phases her now. One advantage of not being able to hear.
Oh Goodness! I always feel like I’m right there – enjoy you so much! I think going through these things makes us appreciate the uneventful ones so much more!
Snores & Yawns!
Cat
Hope your mother heals fast, and you get some sleep!
Oh geez, the universe does like to mess with us, doesn’t it? Who needs sleep anyway, right? But your first sentence….well, you know I’m the same way as you about the positive outlook and stuff….the universe is really messing with us right now too. I’ll fill you in once we know how the story ends (don’t worry, it’s nothing life or death or anything like that).
Geeeez, you must have been exhausted. I am not a fan of the universe sometimes. I don’t like being tested all the time.
What a horrible, terrible, awful night! Real life is often stranger than fiction 🙁 Hope your mom is recovering with speed and you’re able to get some rest. Rudy suddenly became afraid of storms (lightning and thunder) last year and I’ve spent a lot of nights up with him. I’m hoping he’ll grow out of this fear (Jeffie did).
Wow, it really sounds like you were put through it!
Well that was a long night! Not to laugh at your expense but the way you describe some of the events did make me smile…oh the pictures that run through my head!
Oh man, the Universe is one mean-spirited beeotch! Pawsome healing thoughts to your mom. Hope things get back to normal for you all. <3
OH man… coffee to the rescue!!
Y’know, in the cosmic battle of life, I’d put my money on you every time. 🙂
Well that was an interesting night, right!! You are a good puppy Mommy for laying with sweet Sampson on the floor, haha.
It’s a good thing you have your strong sense of humor for times like that! Plus, it’s blog fodder 😉
What a night! I hope your mom feels better soon and the storms are behind you.
What a night. Glad you survived it. Sorry to hear about your Mom. I hope she heals quickly.
Oh my gosh, what a crazy night!! I hope you took a nap the next day after all of that. You’ve got so much going on right now, sending lots of good thoughts and prayers your way.
Thanks for the great tip on using rubber-back rugs! I picked up a few yesterday and Haley is much happier and more stable now on those slippery hardwood floors. 🙂
Oh yay! I’m so glad it helped. We have them everywhere to keep Sampson from slipping. It may not look great, but it keeps him safe. 🙂