Dawn King

Katie here.  Mama says we shouldn’t talk about our latest camping adventure.  She says people will think we are idiots.  Oh wait.  I misunderstood.  She says we are idiots.

Mama heard from that weather person that lives in my TV this weekend was going to be warm.  Like summer or something.  She says that liar TV guy said  the low last night would be 55 degrees  (12.77C) which is warm enough to camp.  She put the tent up on Thursday after work.  I was all excited.

Friday after work Mama loaded up the tent with an air bed (for her), two blankets (for her), two pillows (for her) and my pillow. Huh.  I was really too interested in the painted turtle laying eggs over under a willow bush to pay too much attention but later on I noticed most of the stuff was not for me.

We went to bed in our nice snug tent at 10:30.  It took me awhile to settle down.  Like an hour.  I kept barking one big bark, then jumping up on the air bed to snuggle against Mama.  She thought I was making it up just for an excuse to sleep on the bed but I was exercising my freedom to bark!  And snuggle.  I didn’t like my pillow down there on the ground at all.  Finally Mom gave me one of her pillows and I settled down to sleep.

Then we both heard it.  That pesky big brown dog (Mama says they’re white tail deer but I know they’re just big dogs) was snorting somewhere in the woods behind us.  That did it!  I just barked and barked and barked.  Didn’t matter to me that it was 2:30 in the morning and my Mama was telling me to be quiet I’d wake the neighbors!  I couldn’t stop barking.

Then the train went by.  It’s over a mile away but it was so loud it felt like it was on our street.  We couldn’t tell if the big dog was still snorting, so I kept on barking.  Mama picked me up and held me and I settled down.  Then she realized she was cold.  And could use a restroom.  She says tents don’t come with an on-suite restroom.  But she figured she’d just go back to sleep.

I, of course, had other ideas.  I sat next to the door and whined.  And pawed at the door.  And whined some more.  Mama said to be quiet!  Like that was going to work.  Mama knows me better than that.  Once I decide on something I’m not going to be quiet.  Not me.  I have sheltie-rights you know!

So she put on her shoes, and my leash and we went outside.  Boy the stars were pretty.  We walked around the back yard for a long time.  I was looking for the perfect spot.  Mama was looking at the stars.  It was cold out.  I decided I didn’t really have to go after all.  Mama still did, so we went inside.

We woke up Dad who wasn’t very happy.  I was happy to see him though so I barked some more.   It was almost 3 a.m.  Mama said the temperature outside was 46F (7.7C)!  No wonder she was cold.  I’d just like to remind Mama that she had two blankets folded over, so it was like having four blankets.  Me?  I just had my regular coat you know?  And I wasn’t all cold and whiny.  Oh yea.  Well…a little whiny, but only because I had to go!

And you know what else?  After all that adventure in the middle of the night I was still able to get my Mama up at 6 a.m. this morning!  Cause I am not about to be lax in my job description.  Not me!

Besides once she’s up I can go back to sleep.  Sheltie-rights.  Gotta love em.