A Thief in the Night

I’ve discovered that the older I’ve become, the more vulnerable I’ve become to the monster who creeps in the night and tries at all costs to rob me of one of my most valuable and precious commodities – sleep. I’ve come to call this monster “The Sleep Thief.” You may know it as “insomnia.” This is a truly horrible experience that I would not wish even on my worst enemy.

Is the image on the right familiar to you?  If the answer is yes, then you, too, are familiar with this selfish monster, and the chances are very good that it has also robbed you of precious hours of sleep.

This awful creature held me hostage last night, and the same old tired (pardon the pun) story played itself out again. I was so upset that I even resented my poor husband, who was resting so peacefully on his side of the bed, deep in the throes of his own pleasant dreams. To tell you the truth, what I really wanted to do was hit him with my pillow so that he would wake up – after all, misery loves company!

But no matter how much I pleaded, I could not coax Mr. Sandman to sprinkle his magic sleeping dust over me so that I could obtain the blessed relief of slumber. I tried counting sheep, but even that did not help.

I found myself watching the clock as each second of every single minute of all the hours ticked slowly by.

So I thought I would get up in the hopes that I might fall asleep in front of some late night television program, but to no avail. I tried reading a book – the most boring book I could find – but even that could not lull me into slumber. By this time, I was getting desperate. A glass of warm milk, which normally I despise and under no circumstances would even think of consuming, did nothing to persuade my now-wide awake body to fall into the dearly desired land of dreams.

Then I came up with the brilliant idea of taking a long soak in a warm bubble bath. This always helps to soothe my nerves and makes me sleepy by the time I’m finished. So as I soaked my tired body, there were aromatherapy candles flickering on the vanity, while I listened to my favorite relaxing melodies. After a soothing twenty minutes in the bathtub, the lovely sleepy feeling that I had been yearning for all night long was finally taking its gentle hold upon my body.

I dressed myself in my pajamas and was just about to climb back into bed next to my sleeping husband when our little toy poodle Lucy awakened to go outside for her usual morning routine. And guess who had to take care of her? You guessed it. Yours truly.  And then the alarm went off. It figures.

At least there’s a bright side to my visit from the“thief in the night.” It gave me something to write about in my blog today. Thank God for small favors.

QUOTE FOR TODAY:“Oh sleep! It is a gentle thing, beloved from pole to pole.” ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~

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Minnesota is the Place for Me

I am a true-blue Minnesotan, born and raised here, and I have lived here all my life. I absolutely love the changing of the seasons.

Yes, I agree that sometimes the winters can be hard, with temperatures sometimes reaching the sub-zero mark and the wind chills dipping to 30 and 40 degrees below zero. What do we do on those days? We have learned that piling on layers of clothing works best. It’s definitely a life style that we have learned to live with. And drinking hot liquids such as hot chocolate and snuggling underneath quilts do help, that’s for sure. But then again, watching the big fluffy snowflakes fall gently from the skies above is quite a sight to see, and it’s a sight that I would truly miss if I lived somewhere that didn’t receive snow. I think I would definitely miss that lovely sight.

And then there’s the spring time, when all the snow finally melts away, and the green buds peek their heads above ground and begin to bloom – the daffodils, tulips, and iris. That’s when you know that spring has finally arrived. It’s truly such a joyful time. The birds finally come home and begin to sing their happy bird song high in their nests in the trees. The squirrels are scampering in the branches above us, fighting over their nuts once again. And at our house, we know that spring has finally arrived when the apple tree which hangs over our deck blossoms, just in time for Mother’s Day. Who doesn’t love the spring time?

The spring gives way to summer, with her warmer days and nights. We celebrate those days with family picnics, days on the beach, fishing and camping trips, hikes, family get-togethers at my sister’s lake home at Mille Lacs Lake, lazy days on our deck, and just being together outside. Granted, we do have our share of summer storms and some tornado warnings, but we place those in the “excitement” category, and we’re used to it.  It just means another trip to the basement, as far as we’re concerned. Besides, I don’t mind a good summer storm every now and then, as long as my family is safe while the lightning flashes and the thunder booms.

And then comes my favorite season of all – autumn. I absolutely love autumn. I love the way that Mother Nature paints the leaves on the trees with splashes of red, orange, gold, yellow, brown, and tan. It’s such a beautiful sight. And I love the way that the autumn air smells – crisp and bold to the nostrils. And I love the sound of autumn. I love the way the autumn leaves sound as you walk through them with their crunch and crinkle beneath your feet. And to me, autumn is the perfect temperature. All you need to wear is just a light jacket. Yes, I love the feel of the light autumn breeze on my face. Sometimes I wish that autumn would go on forever because it’s so beautiful. I’m always a bit sad when the first snowfall comes and I have to say good-bye to autumn.

So you see, there’s really no other place that I’d rather be than Minnesota. There’s no beach, no mountain, no forest, no island, no place else that can compare. Just Minnesota for me. Give me Minnesota and I will be happy. Only Minnesota for me. Minnesota. That’s my home.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:  ”

I grew up in Minnesota and everyone is so nice there. It’s like Fargo. Everyone’s so chipper and you make friends just grocery shopping. We kill each other with kindness.”  ~ Seann William Scott

 

 

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