Andean alarm clock

Without opening my eyes, I know it is cloudy this morning. The bedroom has not been engulfed with the usual brilliant sunrise. I roll over and burrow deeper into the blankets. There is not much enthusiasm in greeting a cloudy day. I hear the neighbors rooster - he doesn't sound thrilled either. The pack of wandering dogs are having their morning gathering in the pasture behind our house. Even their greetings are unusually subdued.

I am on the fuzzy edge of falling back to sleep when I hear a trumpeting bellow of discontent. Oh.... not again, grumble, grumble. Roll over. Burrow deeper and cover ears with blankets.

MMMMMmmmaaaaaaaaaahhhh.

Again, again and again. The cow in the neighbors' pasture is not enjoying her early morning location. She is loudly complaining to the maitre d' about where she has been placed for her first breakfast. Even without looking out the window I know exactly where she is. She is on the rocky upslope from the short-cut path. Not sure why she always gets left there. It's a steep slope with rocks and not much grass. Although, it would make sense if she was a goat. Based on her tone, I have no doubt that her rope is tangled around the rocks and shrubs and she can't reach anything. I shuffle my way to the bathroom and open the window. Bingo  -- that's exactly where she is.

There is no use trying to get back to sleep - her insistent tone makes it impossible. And the cold bathroom tiles have given me enough of a shock to go in search of my fuzzy slippers and head downstairs to go make coffee.


A couple of hours later, all is quiet in the back pasture. The complaints have been addressed and the cow is now nicely settled in the lower field, happily munching her way through her second breakfast

-----------------------------------------------------------------.s,t & d.