5:50 am – Right on time, I’m awake. However, it seems I’ve had more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep! Yay! Turn on TV to watch news. Fall back asleep.

7:55 am – Not complaining about two more hours of sleep. Hear SDs moving around, which means it’s time to get up and take care of them. Next weekend, the Hubs is going to let me sleep in one day. This is not an option for him.

8:05 am – SD1 is hungry and eats chicken, rice and kibble, plus his pills with no problem. SD2 not so happy that she didn’t get much chicken. She hasn’t had tummy troubles, I tell her. Make it up by squirting whipped cream in her bowl. Still makes mess with rice, licks whipped cream off of kibble. Grrr.

8:15 am – Sit down, eat breakfast. Think of all that needs to be done today. Can’t find desire to do it. Empty dishwasher. Change out dog pails. Scrub crock-pot from Thursday, put in dishwasher. See ant on counter. Wait, what? Oh, ant in the throes of dying. See little trail of pesticide gel on counter. Wipe up ant and trail.

9:30 am – It’s not too early for a nap. Seriously. Go upstairs and crawl back in bed. Ignore SD2’s whining that she wants up. Had to promise the Hubs I would not let either pup sleep in our bed while he was gone. Stay true to my promise. She gives up and curls up on the chaise.

10:45 am – Get up. Put in load of laundry. Run dishwasher. Go upstairs and make bed. SDs do not stir. Really want to lay down again, but know that’s not conducive to sleeping tonight. Go to office and work on novel. Pretty sure this section is going to need serious editing.

3:30 pm – Hungry. Eat some leftover stroganoff. Stuff is even better after it’s sat a day or two. SDs want to go out. Let them outside. SD2 has a new game. If she flops down on the patio, she runs away when I come to shoo her in. Fun for her, not so much for me.  Neighbor dog out. Groan as both SDs run to fence line. Get charcoal bag. Get bamboo stick. Feel like lion tamer at Barnum & Bailey’s chasing bulldogs around in 97 degree temps, trying to get them inside, banging fence with bamboo stick and shaking charcoal bag at them. SD2 likes to arch around me and circle back. She seems to forget that she might be bulldog stubborn, but I’m Momma stubborn. Finally get them back in house. All of us are hot and tired. Have good text conversation with the Hubs. Really miss him.

4:30 pm – Give in trying to be productive. Decide to just chill. Was going to shower and grocery shop. Think better of it. Adopt Scarlet O’Hara mantra of “Tomorrow is another day.”  SD1 on couch, chewing orange ball. SD2 on cot, not happy about her toy. She’s been told that Momma don’t care. She’s pouting.

5:15 pm – Put Gatorades in fridge for the Hubs, per his request, for when he gets home. He feels dehydrated. Now worried he’s not taking care of himself like he should, but know how this kind of trip goes. Say small prayer.

6:45 pm – Find lone ant, curled up and dead in pesticide gel around sink. Weird kind of satisfaction. I really hate ants.

9:30 pm – Bedtime! Neither SD would go outside. I give up. Tuck them into their crates and head upstairs.

9:45 pm – Face washed, teeth brushed, Benadryl taken. Time to sleep. Head hits pillow. Eyes wide awake. Body exhausted, but eyes don’t care. Sigh. Toss and turn.

10:25 pm – Drifted off to sleep for a minute. Or 15. But wide awake again.

11:15 pm – Tired enough to stop reading and try this sleep thing again.

12:38 am – Nope. Ok. This is ridiculous. Go downstairs, pour small glass of milk with hefty shot of Amaretto. Consume. Head back upstairs. Lay down.

1:21 am – Slept for a little bit. Not much. Toss and turn some more. At this rate, I could be a salad.

2:49 am – More Benadryl needed. Take two more. Fall asleep fairly quick.

3:20 am – What the heck??? Wake up in serious pain in my bad knee. It’s screaming with pain. Must have tossed and turned at a bad angle. Get up, get glove, get Salon Pas gel, liberally coat knee. Crawl back into bed.

4:36 am – Drift off…Finally. Two more days of this. Really not sure that I will make it.