Daily Routine

Another bleak, rain-soaked day...but relief is on the way by tomorrow afternoon. Unfortunately it will be short lived, more rain Thursday. However, Friday is the beginning of sunny, cold days for at least a week. Can't wait to see the sun again and take my dogs on long walks!

For today, I'll get to my writing prompt:

Describe your daily routine when you get out of bed in the morning.

First, though I don't have to get up early, I do. I have always felt better in the morning than late afternoons, when I begin to slow down and feel tired. So I awake at 7:00 even without an alarm clock. However, if I should sleep a bit later, the dogs will get me up due to being used to their routine!

I let the dogs out of their room, they run into the den area and start wrestling with each other. They are always so happy in the mornings, circling me, tails wagging, yipping with enthusiasm. How could that not be contagious? :-)

I feed them first, then go out to check on my cats in the sun-porch; I keep a heat lamp overhead on that porch, so it's warm for them. I sometimes turn it off if temps are rising, or leave it on otherwise. I make sure they have dry food, check the litter box and then come inside.

Next I check on the stray cats (though the 3 that stay on my carport should maybe be called mine), take two bowls of dry food to them. I have blankets and assorted pillows in chairs, a huge plastic tote with pillow/blanket and hole for entry. Mostly they like to hang out on the hood of my car, where I have spread a thick quilt with pillows/blanket. At least that prevents cat tracks when they are on the hood!

Finally it's time for my breakfast! I fix coffee, cereal and sit at my computer surfing the news, reading daily blogs, etc. The dogs sit on either side of me, expecting tidbits, but I usually give them a low-cal snack treat.

After too long at the computer, I get my shower, dress and do housework, sometimes laundry. Every day varies, because if I have errands in town, I prefer to go mid-morning. I eat a bite of lunch around noon, then take the dogs on a long neighborhood walk if weather permits.

I try to write a post for this blog when I get back to the computer, then review past work in my files, trying to determine if any of it could be edited/improved. Sometimes, if I'm motivated, I write. On rainy days like today, Rambo insists on lying in my lap, so I have to type around him -- a trick he's taught me! ;-)

Around 5:00 I have a meal, watch the local and national news on TV while eating at my kitchen bar. After clean-up, the dogs retire to their room/crates; I close the door and let the two cats on my sun-porch inside. They romp and play, then settle down as I lie on the sofa to watch a Netflix movie. Bitty & Slinky have a way of positioning themselves on my body...one on my stomach, the other one draped across my legs. Sigh.

Around 9:30 I put the cats out on their porch, let the dogs out for one last potty run outside.

At 10:00 I head to bed, but sometimes watch a documentary on Netflix on the TV in my bedroom. If it's boring, it puts me to sleep easily! Or I read if I have a good novel or book I'm enjoying.

Spring & summer have a different routine, mainly because I get outside more and sometimes take the dogs to the park instead of walking on the hot summer streets.

Exciting life, no? 

But I make no excuses since I spent a lot of years running here & there while working, not to mention the hectic years when my husband was alive.

Retirement, a satisfactory time.