Take One Fudge and Call Me in the Morning!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I have never had a problem sleeping.  My oldest sister reads a book while she walks, can’t sit still for a minute and thinks naps are a waste of time.  We once went on a ski trip with her and her family and I felt like I was at boot camp with Jillian Michaels or the Energizer Bunny.  We would finish one activity and she would immediately want to know what we were doing next.  If I said we were going to our room to relax, she wanted to know for how long and if I gave her any kind of a timeline, she would be at our door the minute our time was up.  I kept asking her husband why he couldn’t find an activity for them to do together, but he seemed relieved that she was otherwise engaged.  She is going to retire soon and I expect my retired brother-in-law will soon be looking for a job just so he can get a 15-minute break here and there and a lunch hour.  Whatever gene she got that causes this behavior clearly bypassed me, because I think naps are wonderful and siestas should be mandated in all states.

 

Sometimes, I think another great idea besides naps would be separate bedrooms. It’s not that I don’t like sleeping with my husband, but I don’t like coming to bed in complete darkness.  I don’t seem to have great night vision in our dark bedroom and I hate having to feel my way as I try to get to my side of the bed.   First of all, I never know where a dog leg or tail is going to be as I walk around to my side of the bed and more than once I have tripped over one of them and alerted John to my presence with my loud apologies to Fudge or Vern.  Secondly, John’s method of getting into bed at night is to just scoot anything on the bed over to my side.  I once came to bed to find the laundry basket of clean clothes pushed over to my side preventing me from getting into bed.  A lesser woman might assume this could be a hint of some kind, but not me, I just said as loud as I could, “seriously?” and turned on a light and then added, “gosh, I hope I didn’t wake you when I moved the laundry basket.”  I can understand an occasional hanger or a magazine, but a basket of clothes seems more like a giant middle finger covered in clean towels and underwear aimed in my direction.  There is really no excuse that the pusher of said laundry basket could give that would be plausible, but he still looked me right in the eyes and said he didn’t know where to put it when he came to bed and when I gave him a great suggestion, he said he didn’t think it would fit there. In the end, I had to add another rule to my long list of “Things I Never Thought I Would Have to Say Out Loud” rules needed by only one man in the universe.  I think I placed the rule somewhere below “if you can’t push the garbage in the garbage can any further down, it is time to take it out,” and above, “if you don’t want me to know you ate a sandwich over the silverware drawer, then close the drawer first.”  I think we are up to Volume Two in my rule book and I suspect someday when the kids are going through our stuff, they will turn to each other as they read some of the rules and say, “Who doesn’t know this stuff? It just seems like common sense to me.”

 

I took a turn there for a minute, but I was talking about sleeping before I went off on a tangent and getting back to that topic, once I get safely into bed I usually breathe a sigh of relief and hope Fudge is there.  For as ornery as Fudge can be outside, she is a dream dog in the house.  She can be a bit of a bed hog, but I just sleep better when she is near.  The good thing about Fudge is she is extremely malleable when she is sleepy and reminds me of Gumby.  When she is outside, it takes two hands, a little trickery, some quick thinking, and a stern voice just to remove sleep from her eye, but inside I could fold her in half if I wanted to, pull her to me, flip her over, and hug and kiss her a million times until another human says I am starting to make them uncomfortable.  Fudge has such a soft, silky coat and unlike another Doodle I know usually smells pretty good, so as bedmates go, she is a keeper.  I love cuddling with Vern, too, but he takes up far more room on the bed and never stays asleep the entire night and is not very gentle about easing you out of your sleep state. Being thumped by a large paw repeatedly is the technique he has perfected and then that is followed by “I need a treat” before I am jumping off of this bed, (yes, I am still talking about Vern), so is it any wonder that most of us prefer he fall asleep on his own bed.

 

There is just something about having Fudge beside me that makes me feel calmer and more relaxed.  I highly suspect that she gives off some kind of a sleep pheromone/furmone because one minute I am watching The Property Brothers and the next thing I know it is two hours later.  As far as I am concerned it is just another benefit to having a dog and sure beats a sleepless night or insomnia. If only I could bottle this, I would be rich.

My mom says I have furmones :)

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Thanks for the great blog, you are just too funny!
I too love having my dogs in bed with me, problem is sometimes
I almost look forward to going to bed so we can cuddle!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Those pics of Fudge are so awesome.....she has the sweetest face ever!  We have a "no bed rule" because of the issues with Murph trying to keep Dave out of our bed and away from me, but whenever there is a thunder storm I do let Guinness come in bed.  He gets really nervous, but if he can cuddle next to me he calms down.  I love these times!  I wish he could sleep with us all the time, but somehow I think that would be a little unfair.  Oh and moving the laundry basket to your side.....really, John?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

So sorry Sharon.  I have a book reading light that I sometimes use to light my way at night.

[Christine & Shelby]

Another great blog Laurie! Love the pics of Fudge... What a sweetie pie!!!!

[Carol and Banjo]

OMG Sharon....that sounds horrible.   Your trip back to bed sounds exactly like mine.....the Doodle Shuffle!    Laurie,  I love your reference to the giant, towel covered middle finger....had me LOL!    Even night time at your house is interesting.

[Sharon & Monty]

Dark bedroom, oh yes.  total dark at my house on top of the mountain which is a much needed sleep policy for me.  However last night after a quick trip to the bathroom, I did the usual, shuffling my feet so as to not step on Monty, feeling my way along the bottom of the bed and then the side.  I misjudged the distance to the bed and instead of landing in the bed, I lay down on the very edge which deftly threw me off the bed and onto the floor.  That would have been bad enough except my poor head took a bashing on the f**ing night stand.  Oh man, blood and tears and begging for DH to make sure I woke up in the morning.  I might have to put nightlights in or like an old woman place a flashlight by the bedside! :(  And I certainly agree, dogs make sleeping much better.

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Eating a sandwich over the silverware drawer.. I'm still stuck on that one!?! Fudge sounds like the perfect cuddle! I haven't been feeling well lately and as much as Jack is such a Mama's boy, it's been Jilly who doesn't leave my side for a minute. I'll come out of the bathroom and there she is so excited with her tail wagging in a complete circle to usher me back to bed and cuddle up. Food for the soul.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

So sweet, Fudge face! 

I have to admit that the laundry basket story is up there in all time greats...

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Oh, I just loved this blog, Laurie. Some people need the rules published.  It might even be a community service!  Perhaps when you find the laundry basket on YOUR side, you should turn on ALL the lights, start singing, banging drawers and closet doors, and take a longggg time to put the clothing away.  The pictures of Fudgie at the bottom are perfect. Isn't it funny how snuggling and compliance is situational with them?  When we have taken Ned traveling as our only dog (not often but when we do),  he is the biggest snuggler ever.  It makes me want to take him by himself more often.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Great photos.....love Fudge.  I would be so upset if Libby didn't sleep with me - I so look forward to our weekly sleepovers!  And I have her for a whole week starting 8/16.  Joy to the world!