Early morning *tail*

Lifehack Challenge Day One. For a Monday, its an easy day. Getting up 'around' 5:30 is a bit easier on this day, as Lisa and I have bumped up our Monday/Wednesday morning jaunts to 6:15.

However, these extra few minutes kinda put me at a loss this morning...

I jump out of bed, turn off my alarm clock that now sits beside the door on the other side of the room, and get dressed. What happened next really should have woken my entire family, but somehow didn't. I come quietly downstairs to spend a few minutes at my art desk, and Cody starts feverously wagging his tail (a force of nature in itself!). WAG! WAG! WAG! BOOF! He bounds out of his crate, as if to say, 'Its time to go Mom?!' He's such a creature of habit that he thinks if he's slept, and its still dark and I'm in my clothes, it only means one thing. WALK!

Clickety-Clack CLICKETY-CLACK CLICKETY-CLACK go his long nails on the laminate - I rush to close Sam's dorr tightly so he doesn't wake up at this kooky blissfully quiet hour, and Cody is still going at it like there's no tomorrow. 'MOM! WALK! NOW! CLICKETY-CLACK! DOOR! WAG! WAG! VAN! GO!' Oy vay! After some hushed scolding, he sulks back into his crate, patiently waiting for me to move an inch, as if to say 'OKAY............. NOW!'

Back to my art desk I focus, not quite sure just what to do, which for me is SUPER odd. I'm never really at a loss for things to do. When I'm in the midst of chaos and craziness and too many school meetings, too much paperwork, too much housework to do, laundry to fold, I'm SO inspired creatively. I think of a MILLION little things that I could do if I take 15 minutes. Or 5.

But this morning. Zip. Zero. Creativity null.

So I cut some more pages out of my old Real Simple magazines to fill what is looking like its going to be the collage of all collages - filling up an entire wall in my home (I won't really - they will go into my collage book, and I *may* create a vision board... we'll see).

The clock now says 6:05 - time to let the hound out into the yard for a pre-walk piddle, and get my shoes on. I deactivate the alarm, let Cody outside, I go upstairs and no sooner Guy scrambles out of the bedroom with his 'What the ---' look on his face. The kind of look you have when you are suddenly awakened by a smoke alarm or loud crash or earthquake. The kind where you're not sure where you are or what year it is. He stares at me quizzically in the hall as I get on my coat and hat, and I tell him I'm just about to leave. Relief sweeps his face, and then confusion sets in. Somehow in his slumber between my alarm at 5:30 and the door chime ringing as I let Cody out at 6:05, he's mistakenly cogitated that I'd left, and the door chime he heard was some early morning intruder plotting to steal a cup of our wicked espresso.

'No sweetie - everything's fine. I just got up early and now I'm going to the golf course.' I reassure him. He turns around, gives what I think is a little 'whoaaa that was weird' shake of the head and starts off for the bathroom.

I bid him goodbye and leave my house in peace and quiet and go off with my dog into the darkness of our early morning walk.