Sleeptime shenanigans

As so often happens when I have had a busy day, I had trouble falling asleep last night. I am a person who really needs a minimum of seven hours sleep to cope well physically and mentally, so when I am still awake at 1:00 AM, as I was last night, I don't set the alarm unless I absolutely have to be up early the next day.

But the alarm clock is really a moot point. I have several four legged alarm clocks around here who seem to think that I should never sleep in past 5:30 AM no matter how late I've been up the night before.

You'd think they'd just stay sleeping until they hear the refrigerator door open signalling "breakfast!". But, no, at 5:30 sharp Allie the cat runs to tell Belle to wake me up, and Belle starts her very high pitched and persistent Sheltie bark: “Wake up Mom, Wake up!!!!” (Anyone who sleeps through a standard alarm or repeatedly hits the snooze button and ends up being late for work should get themselves a Sheltie. There is NO ignoring the Sheltie Alarm Clock).

And if that isn’t enough, Charley then comes and starts pawing the bed incessantly, probably to say “Would you tell that sheltie to SHUT UP!!!” (Charley used to be the last one up around here, in the days before Belle).

Right now, the only one respectful of my sleep time is sweet Sadie -- unless there happens to be coyotes howling outside, as there was at 3:00 AM, in which case she thinks she is duty-bound to bark loud enough and long enough to wake the entire neighbourhood.

I need a bigger house - one with a dog room that has soundproof walls. Or maybe I just need an excellent set of earplugs.