Saturday Morning

This morning I woke up to a friendly Althea rubbing my hand and face. She was begging me wake up and give her a morning massage. She rarely lets me sleep past 7am. I am not sure what she is so desperate for in the morning but she works very hard to pleasantly and gently rouse me to the world. It is a rare Saturday morning that I have off and even more amazing I am staying in town. I love to wake up slowly and mosey my way into the kitchen where one small push of a button will unleash the pleasant aroma of freshly brewing coffee. When it is ready I my senses will slowly come alive as I pour a cup and watch the steam rise while a few precious drops dribble down the side of the cup. Next I grab the chewed-up leather leash hanging on the back of my desk chair attach to Abbey's collar then we step outside into the overcast morning. It threatens to rain but so far we are safe as Abbey stops to sniff her regular route. She has to be aware of everything that happened on the block since her last sojourn. It is only a short walk as I am still in my Scottie dog pajamas. I feel that the moment I change my clothes it marks the end of a lazy morning. We round the first corner where a large bed of Dahlias and other flowers await us. Every morning I have to stop and appreciate the natural pinks, yellows, whites, and violets of the flowers that populate this space between the house on the corner and its garage. The residents of the house have asked me on many occasions to help myself to cuttings. There is nothing that man can make that equals the natural velvety softness of a living flower petal. As we turn the next corner to head down the alley I see a wild mass of sunflowers trying to hide behind the garage bowing under the weight of the large yellow blossoms but still towering over me. We move down the alley passing closed garage doors and parked cars until we come to our own yard. Abbey has to check her corners looking for what ever activity might have occurred overnight. Then we walk to the front of the building pull out the keys and go inside where I refill my coffee cup and move on to the rest of the day....