Day 158

10/19/22

In the wee hours of the morning, a whimper from our Sam means all is not well with his world. This little man has slept in his kennel beside our bed from day one and has never made a problem for us. As long as he can see me, or sense I am near, he sleeps soundly all night long.

Last night, about 4:45 a.m., our little Sam made the softest of whimpers. Being a mom has trained me to hear the slightest unusual noise, so I woke up and listened. About five minutes later, there was another small whimper from our pup. I got up, grabbed my robe and lifted him out of his kennel. The rest of the pack (including Mac) slept peacefully on as we quietly headed down the hallway.

After snuggling him all the way down the stairs, I walked to the kitchen door, opened the "doggy door" with its light sensor and headed out the "human door" to meet Sam outside. By the time I had opened the gate to the backyard, he had already disappeared around the corner of the garage. As my feet, in my favorite Mama Bear slippers, shuffled cautiously through the leaves, I realized a few things.

First of all, the silence was amazing. No cars, no birds, no barking dogs...no noise!

Next, I realized how cold it was! Later, I was to discover it was only 23 degrees outside!!!

Finally, I marveled at the night sky. It was daunting in its depth and blackness. Only a few stars could be identified, but the darkness won.

Suddenly, the world seemed to shift and come to life! My daughter, who lives next door, appeared on her back steps to let one of her dogs outside. A light came on in a neighboring window and I heard the rustle of leaves as a night visitor rummaged through the bushes. Two doors down, a car alarm sounded and then there was the distant bark from a dog. The world was waking up and it hadn't even told the sun yet!

Turning my attention to my puppy, I discovered Sammy must have had an upset stomach. All of my Goldens love to eat the greens in their play area. No matter how hard I try to control the growth of vines and weeds, there is always a "salad" just waiting for them to feast upon. I believe Sam had done just that!

After awhile, he trotted up as if to say, "Thanks, Mommy! I feel better! Can we play? Is it time for breakfast?" Poor baby! He is so cute, I would have gladly stayed up and snuggled for the rest of the night! However, this pup has the most benevolent heart. I was pretty chilled by the time we headed inside and toward the dinette to see what he wanted to do. Looking at me with those liquid pools he has for eyes, he turned and trotted up the stairs. I followed and turned into the bedroom just in time to see him step over Lilly and return to his kennel. Curling up with his beloved Snuggle Puppy, he sighed loudly and settled in to return to his puppy dreams.

Crawling back into bed and snuggling down under the covers felt so good after the chill of the evening. There's nothing like a night adventure to make you appreciate the simple things in life.

Lying there for a few minutes I felt an overwhelming gratitude for this world we live in. During the day, the colors and life that entertain us are wonderful, but at night, the dance is different. Calm and peaceful, yet still full of wonder, nighttime has a beauty of its own!

Eventually, I followed Sammy's lead and caught a few more minutes of sleep before the alarm went off. By alarm, I mean Ranger's "Tummy Time Alarm!" Bring on a new day of wonderful surprises!