Thursday, December 19, 2024

Night Dog


A rose bud appeared on one of our bushes a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised because this is not really the season for roses, but the bud lingered. It grew very slowly and with our chilly weather and low light, I was afraid it would drop if I left it in the garden. So a few days ago I cut it and brought it inside, and it has blossomed beautifully in the warmth of the house.

Any thoughts I had of sleeping in on our winter break were shattered this morning when the dog got me up at 4:30 a.m. She is very insistent about her morning routines, and one of them is rising early. I remember after my grandfather retired back in the early '70s, he continued to get up every morning at some ridiculous hour, as if he still had to climb into his car and drive into Washington D.C. to go to work. And my grandmother would rise as usual to make him breakfast -- even though neither of them had to be anywhere. The habits of a lifetime are hard to break. So it goes with Olga.


A couple of nights ago she got us up in the middle of the night. This was not routine. She was panting and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. I let her outside and gave her a paracetamol, and she lay on the floor of the living room for a while, and then she was fine. I think she either had to go out, or her achy joints were acting up, or she was overheated -- or a combination of the three.

While we were both up, I decided to experiment with the low-light photography capabilities of my phone. The iPhone can do amazingly well in minimal light. The picture above was taken in our dark living room -- and when I say dark I mean DARK, as in, I could barely see myself. There was moonlight outside, but as you can see the brightest lights were the red glow from the TV power strip and the green light on the DVD player. And the phone still managed to produce a picture. Kind of cool.

I hope to get out a bit during the daylight hours today. I've had barely any sunlight on my skin for a couple of weeks now!

45 comments:

  1. I’ve taken some fun low-light photos of our cats with my iPhone . This is especially beautiful. The cats get SG up anywhere between 4:30 and 6 every day. I sleep through it!

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    1. What is it about animals and rising early? I suppose in the wild that's their hunting time.

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  2. Visit Australia, you'll have more than enough sunlight. Of course there's probably lots of places closer to London where you can get plenty of sunlight. The rose is lovely.

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    1. Believe me, I fully intend to visit Australia one of these days!

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  3. No sunshine on your skin? Time to book a couple of sessions at your local tanning studio. I believe it is run by Tanya Whitebitz.

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    1. Ha! I prefer the one run by her sister, Tamara Tanbitz.

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  4. Dogs don't believe in sleeping late. But when they've made you get up with them, they go back to bed!

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    1. EXACTLY! She takes me out to the couch and then falls asleep again!

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  5. Our pets, like your grandfather, never deviate from their routines. One of our cats still climbs on our bed at 6:30 every morning to wake us up to feed her.

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    1. It's amazing how accurate their timetables are, too. Olga knows almost to the minute when it's 6:30 p.m. -- her dinner time.

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  6. Routines are powerful and for better or worse, we all have them. While on holiday, I hope you can get outside to enjoy your long walks and the sunshine.
    As for sleeping in while on holiday? Olga seems totally devoted to her routine. Maybe not being home will change her expectations.

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    1. Her expectations may change, but that always causes her some stress, too. She really likes things to stay the same.

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  7. Blame it all on my roots, but I've always been a morning person. I feel like I miss less of the world by getting up early and going to bed early than I do the other way around.

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    1. I'm a morning person too. I get a lot done in the mornings (mainly blogging!) and I've never understood night owls. I'm way too tired in the evenings to do anything.

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  8. Beautiful rose. I had a rose bud appearing at Thanksgiving. I brought it in, but it never bloomed.

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    1. Sometimes in the winter they just don't open. It's a crapshoot!

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  9. That rose is stunning. It would have been a shame to miss it.
    I love how well iPhones do in low light. I think they've mastered the development of cameras. Now if they just could add some telephoto lenses we'd be all set.

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    1. I'm sure that's coming! In fact, I feel like I've read about iPhone trying to develop a true telephoto lens (as opposed to the zoom feature, which reduces resolution). It may even already exist on certain models of iPhones.

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  10. The last roses I brought in before I pruned them have now dried and are still beautiful. I woke up this morning to find "I love you" written in rosebuds on the kitchen island. My heart!
    iPhones are really good at taking pictures in low light. Sometimes I'll just snap something in the dark to see what happens and...I often get an interesting picture.
    Too bad you can't tell Olga how important sleeping in is to us humans.

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    1. Awww, what a great rosebud message. I also love experimenting in certain situations to see what the phone camera will do.

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  11. I'm glad Olga was OK. I still have geraniums in the garage and still blooming. Yes, sheltered but it's not a heated garage and it's mighty chill out there! I love your rose -- I bet it smells fantastic! Great photo in the low light!

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    1. Geraniums apparently do fine in a chilly garage or shed, as long as they don't freeze. Or so I've read. I usually just bring ours inside.

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  12. Yes !! Olga Girl Photos

    Well Done ,
    Cheers

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  13. Sometimes people with animals have to develop a new routine. Pet train us and we don't know it.

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    1. It's true! We think we train dogs but they are the masters in many ways. (And cats are ALWAYS the masters.)

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  14. I always wonder if I'll continue to get up at my usual work time after I retire & then I sleep until 10:00 on a random Saturday & think, "nah..."

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    1. Ha! I've never been a late sleeper. Even when I try to sleep late it seldom happens. Eight a.m. is late for me.

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  15. I always imagined I would sleep in when I was retired but I am always up by the time I used to have to wake up when I worked. Of course, now I can take an hour or two to browse through my blog list as I don't need to go anywhere...
    Maybe Olga woke from a bad dream in a panic attack. Do dogs have dreams? or panic attacks?

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    1. I think having the luxury of a leisurely morning without watching the clock would be so wonderful. I'm sure dogs have bad dreams. Dave always thinks she's having a nightmare, whereas I usually think she's chasing squirrels.

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  16. After almost 4 years working in Northern California, I am so thrilled to be back in Honolulu! I have been home since May of 2019 and still marveling gratefully that the Sun and sky and benign temperatures. Wishing you folks and your Sweet dog a safe and happy holiday season! Aloha!

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    1. And yes, retired but still unable to sleep beyond 5:00 a.m..

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    2. At least you're in a sunny place, so 5 a.m. brings daylight pretty quickly! It must feel so great to be back home. :)

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  17. My iPhone camera did amazingly well in Carlsbad Caverns; John was jealous! I just had to hold still for a few seconds. Hard for me to remember! My dad was like your grandfather; he got up early his whole life. I'm an 8 o'clock riser after 37 years of getting up at 5 am. NO more! Hope Olga is feeling OK.

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    1. Yeah, it does require a steady hand when it's really dark. My phone makes a sort of noise so I can tell not to move.

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  18. I am with Margaret. Working required a 5:30 get up, no mas!

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    1. Yeah, that's a bit TOO early in ideal circumstances. Unless you're Olga!

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  19. I don't mind waking up early because it's what my body wants to do. I'm physically at my best early in the morning and don't seem to need as much sleep as I used to.
    Life is short, so humor sweet Olga. She loves and depends on you.

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  20. I got up at 5:30 for years when I was working, if I have to get up at 7:00 now it practically kills me.

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    1. Ha! Funny how timetables shift! If you had a pet it would have you out of bed before 7 a.m. :)

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  21. My phone camera does far better in low light than my quite good stand alone camera. Far better. That's a very nice winter rose, that isn't a winter rose.

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    1. My big camera does well in low light too, but not so much better that it's worth walking around with that big, heavy thing all the time.

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  22. Replies
    1. She wasn't shaking, at least not that I saw. She was panting, though. Often that seems to mean anxiety. I think she was overheated in the blankets and her arthritis was acting up, but who knows.

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