Silent Summer

         During the school year, my day usually begins around 4:00 a.m.  I know, that's early, but I've come to like it. I get stuff done, and have time to explore Pinterest or Facebook before I actually begin getting ready for school.  Now that it is summer, my day usually begins around 4:30 a.m.  I am letting myself sleep later....HA.  Really, the dogs wake me up to go out, then I just stay up.  One thing I have enjoyed is the quiet of the mornings.  I open up the screen on the front door, and just take in the silence.  Then, the birds all over the neighborhood begin their morning songs.  For the first week I was out, my husband was still in school, so I decided to not even turn on the television until two o'clock, when General Hospital comes on.  Now, I'm in that habit, no noise until two.  (And the way that story is going, sometimes I think I have wasted a perfectly good hour on a bunch of ridiculous noise.)  So, trying to convince my husband to not turn on the tube until later has not been too much of a struggle.  He wants to watch Gunsmoke and Bonanza on TVLand.  And, I'm okay with that....no TV until two is the plan.  You know, I have not missed it one bit.  The quiet is so intoxicating.
           I often wondered what the dogs did all day while we were gone.  If the past two weeks are any indication, they do nothing!!!!  Their schedule is to go out first thing for about an hour to do squirrel and possum patrol.  Ralph and Eleanor run through the stream and the peppermint growing back there, and though they come in absolutely filthy sometimes, they smell real good.  Franklin will go off the deck steps, do his business, then come back to the deck and just chill awhile.   They all come back in, sit at the front windows, and bark at real or imagined things they see in our yard or across the street.  Then, about nine o'clock, they settle down for the day.  Franklin has been my shadow.  Where I go, he goes.  He is my baby.
             So. lets see how long I can keep the summer of silence going.  So far, so good.  Peace.

Top right, Ralph is wearing the Snoopy collar I made for him.
Bottom, the daily routine...nothing.