Mornings

I've been telecommuting since Thursday. I've still got the bum knee, and working from home reduces the stress and strain of driving cross town to work, then clomping up four floors to my office (even if I do use an elevator instead of the stairs). Destinations such as a kitchen area and bathroom are a lot closer at home than in an office building. I can't wait until the 15^th and my official audience with the orthopedic surgeon. I can't believe this has been going on since my trip to Detroit before Thanksgiving.

Right now I'm the only two-legged creature in the house. It's not that you can say you're alone when you have two Labs and three cats to keep you occupied. I've been sleeping out on the La-Z-Boy lounger in the back of the house these past weeks because it can keep my leg and knee at a proper angle, and I'm close enough to the kitchen and the freezer to grab ice packs for the knee. But I still have to rise and shine each morning and go to work at my home desk, just like I would at the regular office.

And the Labs, being the opportunistic little characters that they are, love to pile into the sofa and snuggle into my blanket and pillow when I get up. Max, being the alpha, is sitting where I was sitting. I can't blame them. It's warm and has my smell on everything, and they are the devoted little pair.

Cat's are different in this regard. They'll flop bonelessly down anywhere that's warm and soft. The only time I see them is when they want to come over and be seen. It's not unusual to wake up in the middle of the night and find one curled up on top of me as I lie under my blanket, or to have one walk across my chest, purring, early in the morning. Cats are better than any alarm clock I've ever owned.