The air is cold and clear, there is frost on my outside water bowl. There is no more than a sliver of a moon in a field of stars. It wasn’t my fault she fell over on the ice watching them, but I learned a few new words she says I am not allowed to repeat…
I curl up on the sofa after our evening walk. She has closed the garden door, the heating has just come on and we will soon be warm and cosy.
She does stuff in the shower and squeals at the slug I brought in for her. I thought it was a nice gesture, ‘cause she liked the first slug of spring last year… but she says she doesn’t like them much indoors…or in bare feet. There’s no pleasing some two-legses…
Anyway, she snuggles into her dressing gown, that means it is time for her to write. I know her habits. Next she’ll make coffee. She fills the kettle and bad words drift out of the kitchen. She has no coffee. Well, she can’t blame me for that at least! All I can hear is her grumbling about shops and ‘ten mile drives’. She’s not a happy two-legs.
If she has to resort to herbal tea, I may have to hide.
There’s a lot of rustling in the cupboard, then I hear her flick the switch on the kettle… and everything goes dark. It also goes very, very quiet. All the whirring and purring of the house has stopped.
“I’ve blown a fuse,” she says. I know she likes her coffee, but that’s a bit extreme, even for her.
She fumbles around in the dark, looking for a candle… not that she can see anything, so I don’t know how she’s looking. I creep through quietly to ‘vestigate… I thought I should stick close to protect her, but I just end up getting sat on. It seems that black dogs in the dark are not safe.
We finally get the candle and check the fuses… and she says they are all fine. Then, after she’s squashed me, she thinks to check outside… and there are no lights anywhere in the village.
“Power cut,” she says. Might as well just go to bed then. “The fish need towels,” she replies. Now, I think she may have done more than just blow a fuse…
She starts rummaging for towels and piling them up on the aquarium. That seems a bit odd to me, ‘cause she dries things with towels, but the fish are supposed to be wet.
“We need to keep them warm,” she explains. Okaay… never argue with a lunatic, they say. I keep quiet and stay out of her way. But then she won’t leave them, in case they get too warm…
All the little lights are still off. Everything is quiet… she can’t write, can’t curl up and read, and she won’t play ball, even though I tell her I can chase it just as well in the dark. It’s getting really cold too… ‘cause the heating went off with the lights and I thought I ought to patrol the garden, which meant her opening the door again. And you should hear what she said she’d do to me if I brought in any slugs in the dark!
I managed to convince her to snuggle up with me on the sofa. We could keep each other warm, I thought, and she could check the fish were warm enough. And just as I am finally being allowed to drift off, all the lights come back on and the whole place is whirring and buzzing… and she’s dashing round like a lunatic with armfuls of fish towels…
Talk about a peaceful Sunday evening!
Much love,
Ani xxx
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Thanks for the laughter 🙂 We don’t get power outages often, but I remember in Boston we had a couple of really long ones and we had to wrap up the tropical fish too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We don’t here either…and I NEVER run out of coffee… a disastrous night! 😉
LikeLike
I’ve never heard of this. How fascinating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear! I hope you got it all sorted Ani, keeping each other snug, and that the fuse-thing gets fixed asap!
LikeLiked by 1 person
She says the fuse will stop being blown when she gets coffee… 😉
LikeLike
Lol!!! I get that feeling!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLike
Poor Ani! No rest for a small dog. (I’m afraid to ask about the caffeine situation…)
LikeLiked by 1 person
She woke to no coffee… I’m not coming out till she’s gone to work…. 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Should we send emergency help?
LikeLike
I could have used a tanker of coffee… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
The kids gave us a drone for Hanukkah, but we have absolutely NO idea what to do with it. Next time you run into an emergency that scares Ani, let me know and we’ll arrange an emergency caffeine airlift.
LikeLike
That would be the perfect inaugural flight…a mercy mission 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
But she’s a good-hearted two-legs, Ani – look how she took care of the fish!
LikeLiked by 2 people
She does her best… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never a dull moment in your house, Ani! Thank heaven or you wouldn’t have anything to write about!!
LikeLike
I could always write about tennis balls… but the two-legs says not everyone finds them as fascinating as me 😉 xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
LikeLike
Ani ays thank you, Jaye xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
give her a cuddle from me!
LikeLike
I will 🙂 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reading your posts is a lovely way to start the week, Ani!
LikeLike
Thank you 🙂 I thought I’d better write seeing as she was so frazzled with the fish 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Poor Ani must be exhausted 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
She lives a very busy life 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLike
Ani, I totally get why your human was grumbling about coffee. The last time a big storm threatened our area, while everyone else was stocking up on bread, we went to the store and stocked up on canned cappuccinos!
LikeLike
I think my two-legs would do that too…though hopefully she would stock up on chicken for me too 🙂
LikeLike
It’s a good thing Ani is always around to help out!
LikeLike
I don’t know what I’d do without her 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ani, I don’t know any two-legs who like finding slugs with their bare feet, and that’s just the ones who think slugs are interesting rather then utterly repulsive. We are an odd species. And, black dogs do need to be extra careful when the lights are out, and probably avoid places where two-legs might sit. Sorry you got squashed and the cuddle got cut short. Better luck next Sunday.
LikeLike
See? Told you…two-legses are just weird. She won’t let me play with slugs either…says they are dangerous. I can’t see it myself… unless they are wereslugs…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Two-Legs mostly think of slugs as just slimy and icky, plus, they eat our garden plants.
LikeLike
She seems to see them as space invaders…
As to eating garden plants… I think I’d better say nothing on that score. She grows some nice ones… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, Ani, life is certainly never dull in your house 🙂
LikeLike
I make sure of that 😉 xx
LikeLike
That is one of the cutest little dogs I’ve ever seen. And the situation from its point-of-view is just right! My dog would be about the same. 🙂
LikeLike
She is a beautiful creature… with the most expressive face I have ever known on a dog 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
My best friend is also black. And we have black carpet. She’s too big to be sat on, but she makes a great obstacle in the dark. Lots of words that can’t be said erupt after stumbling over the poor sleepy creature who was doing nothing except minding her own business. Loved your post. A nice way to start a Monday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Mary. Ani is big enough not to miss in daylight… which makes her difficult to avoid in the dark when she is being helpful 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Ani. Strange creatures, aren’t they? The humans, I mean. Also, that thing where we just get them settled and think we’re going to get a nice nap with them, and then they jump up and start doing things… Really annoying, isn’t it? Lots of licks, Lilie
LikeLike
They have a nasty habot of always having to ‘do stuff’ just when you are warm and cosy with them… they really are weird, Lilie… xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know who found the lights-out worse, Sue or Ani. Poor dog. Ha ha. 🙂
LikeLike
The honours there may go to Ani. No-ne likes to share a house with a lunatic in the dark 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an adorable tale.
Sounds like Ani had a rough evening. Everything revolves around coffee and fish. What about her? Why does no one take interest in her slugs?
LikeLike
I took a far too intinate interest in her slug… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never a dull moment at your place! 😀
LikeLike
Not often 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh Sue, I’m sorry you fell, but I had to laugh at Ani’s recounting, lol. You almost squashed her and that ‘vestigate’ word is adorable. I hope you weren’t too banged up and found yourself some coffee! ❤
LikeLike
The coffee had to wait till next morning… and I just ache a bit more than usual …and Ani a lot cuddlier 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
She does come in handy! 🙂 Keep healing! ❤
LikeLike
She does…and she helps with that too 😉 x
LikeLiked by 1 person
No doubt! 😉 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those electrical out-thingies are dangerous! Fancy getting sat on! … I do hope your person got some coffee eventually. It must’ve been quite a trial for her too.
LikeLike
Yeah, she may be a little short two-legs, but she’s no lightweight 😉 The coffee came much, much later….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ani, what a to do. Your two legged must have been exhausted and you getting sat on too. Hope nothing vital got squashed. I grumped this morning to get out again but they won’t lets me saying I just been out and it’s too cold. I sulking and sitting in the living room on my own. Much Paw love, Dante Dawg. xxxx
LikeLike
If they’d grow more fur, they’d realise it isn’t all that cold out there… just nice and fresh. Commiserations, Dante… xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
much thanks and paw love, Ani. ❤
LikeLike
We have power outages all the time here – have a closet with all the things we need and a generator outside if the outage goes on for more than an hour. It’s so bothersome. Poor Ani needs to wear a bright white coat to keep her visible! Don’t know about the slugs, though. Ick!.
You’ll need to keep a special stash of coffee – running out of that is like running out of oxygen.
LikeLike
I never run out of coffee… was convinced tere was more in the cupboard… and I doubt Ani will come out from under the desk next time the power goes out 😉
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Lyn Horner's Corner and commented:
Fun in the dark with Ani and her two-legs!
LikeLike
Thanks, for sharing, Lyn 🙂
LikeLike
Ani, you are such a faithful friend, trying to watch out for your two-legs and help find the candles. Sorry she accidentally sat on you. I’m sure she felt bad about that. If I may suggest, the next time you want to present her with a little gift, try a pretty pebble instead of a slug.
LikeLike
She complains about the pebbles I bring in too… says that they are almost as bad as slugs to stand on with her funny two-legs’ feet…
LikeLike
Haha, Ani, I hear you. We have frequent power failures here in South Africa, so much so that we have back up generators.
LikeLike
Not often here…and this is the fist time the cold knocked the power out.
LikeLike
Oh dear, Ani, not much of a peaceful Sunday, then? Power cuts can be so inconvenient, can’t they? They usually happen at meal times but, luckily for us dogs, we can still sniff out dinner. And they always seem to happen during the months the lights go out earlier.
Hope this Sunday is a lot more peaceful.
Lots of barks,
Toby & Austin.
xx
LikeLike
This Sunday I have been kept busy with the invasion of strange beings in next door’s garden. She says they are called bobble-hats-and-parkas and that they only come out in cold weather… but if she thinks that means I won’t warn them off, she’s mistaken!! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person