Rude Awakening

6:44 AM

It's not quite daylight.

I roll over and look at the clock. I've still got 20 minutes before the alarm goes off.

I'm thinking about whether I want to go ahead and get up....or just drift off again......

Before I'm completely comatose, I feel a large "plunk" on the bed.

Next to my head, I suddenly hear a Harley crank up.

Even with eyes closed, I know it's Joey. He always sounds like a happy Harley with his super loud purr.

And worse, he knows I'm awake.

I reach out and scratch him on the head, eyes still closed, hoping he'll go lay at the bottom of the bed until I'm ready to get up.

No. Such. Luck.

He gently head butts me when I haven't moved in the last three minutes.

This time I crack an eye open to locate the not-to-be ignored cat and again, scratch his ears.

Somewhere, deep in the recesses of my mind, an unpleasant notion starts to take shape and creep upward.

I ignore it.

I lay there trying to drift off again when an odd thought drifts across my mind about not remembering the toy I just saw in Joey's mouth.

It's not full light yet. I just didn't recognize it.

Still resisting the vague but insistent worry becoming stronger in the back of my mind, I note that the cat is walking up and down the length of the bed, occasionally pouncing on something.

Suddenly, the vague panic breaks through the surface of conscious thought and I bolt upright in bed!

To see a very happy feline sitting there looking at me, very proudly I might add, with what's left of a brown wolf spider in his mouth.

"Gwof mrfing!! Lokf wha I brft uw!" says the happy boy. (Translation: Good morning!! Look what I brought you!)

Gonna be a fine day.

Just fine.


Joey and His "Toy"
Watercolor on
Strathmore Aquarius II Paper

You Might Also Like

20 Creative Thought(s)

  1. I am sorry but this had me rofl. Great sketch. Just the thought of a spider in my mouth. EEEWWWW

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice. At least he didn't let it crawl all over you. And don't you just hate it when you wake up a few minutes before your alarm goes off??? I always feel cheated.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG (and I never say that). Ack! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was afraid it was going to be a mouse! I don't know which is worse and did he find the spider on the bed or did he bring it to you? Great job at depicting a "don't you want it" look on Joey's face!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So funny!

    I can empathize. I've lived through some variations on this theme.

    Your telling is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yuck! Buy that kid some toys.Still, not as bad as a big spider dropping a cat on your bed-yikes!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I could take a mouse better than a wolf spider. Aaaaah! My cat chases spiders, too. I am so afraid she will get bit, but if she brought one of those to me, I would lose 5 years off my life! They are the scariest spiders! Thank heavens it was dead!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Not much on spiders either, Lisa!

    Hey, KJ, no, it was probably long gone before it ever made it onto the bed. Poor thing.

    Kelly, they're actually good guys though I prefer not to have one sleeping with me.

    He probably brought it in, Timaree. They leave in the house and once in a while one gets a little to close to the floor.....

    Hi, Katherine, you must have cats. I'm just thankful it wasn't anything any worse!

    Good point, Bob! Always an up side.

    The wolf spiders in FL are actually good guys, Brenda. They eat LOTS and LOTS of other bugs! It's more likely you'll hurt yourself trying to get away from one than it is for them to actually hurt you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. OMG.. I cant handle spiders. I would rather it had been a mouse. UGH. but great rendition of it. ugh. lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would have died. Living in So. Calif. where it is warm they some times would get in the house. They were so fast. I am terrified of them.
    I'm glad your kitty didn't drop the spider on your head when he head butted you.

    My dear late husband found one in the kitchen sink one morning. He left it there and went off to work as a joke knowing that I was scared to death of them. He thought it was hilarious but when he got home and I had not cooked a single thing for dinner, well the joke was on him. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  11. Buster tries to get me up to feed him before I'm ready to get up. Every morning! So we've started locking him in the bathroom when he does it. You'd think he'd learn to leave us alone, but so far, he hasn't.

    At least it wasn't a brown recluse spider - we have those here. Do you have them?

    Great sketch, and you certainly know how to tell a story!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good kitty, bad kitty.

    I don't mind wolf spiders... they are good as they eat lots of other insects that you don't want around. But, still a spider on the bed with a playfully proud cat had to be something :) Great rendition!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh my goodness that would freak me out!!! YUK! Very, very nice picture of Joey though!! I love the look in the eye's...they appear to be saying exactly what you mentioned!!!

    By the way, are you have issues with Blogger lately???

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, dear! Having been there and done that, I can fully appreciate! You had me laughing so hard, I thought I'd cry. Found you through Kelly Kilmer and I'll be back.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Found you through Kelly Kilmer ;-) great blog, looking forward to more visits to see what you are up to. I wouldn't know a wolf spider from any other LOL...but am scared to death of them. eek. maybe I should get a cat....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Cute story. I have two Maine Coons and I know just what you are talking about! They love to zig zag around the house swatting at flying bugs, but they have never brought me a spider in bed before. Lucky you!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I would rather it NOT have been a mouse, Cris! Too funny! We all have our fears.

    As I've mentioned, Carol, you are far more likely to get hurt getting away from them than by them! If he'd dropped it on me, there would probably be one less cat in our household!!

    Cats are too smart for their own good, Cheryl and they have one track minds too! We do have the brown recluse here in FL, but so far, none inside the house.

    Generally speaking, I don't mind them either, Pam, but I would really prefer not to find one in my bed!

    Thanks, Myra, it's not something I want to wake up too daily!

    Hey, Paula, welcome! If you've been there, then you're obviously a veteran of the cat wars!

    Hey, Linda, welcome to the blog! Wolf spiders are fairly common here in FL, but I'm not sure if the cat solves the problem or just makes more!

    Thanks, Sue!

    Thank you, Donna!

    Ah, yes, flying bugs—another source of joy for cats! Thanks, Katie. Cats, can't live with them, can't live without 'em!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow love it funny and offbeat humor. I hope the cat will still be okay.

    ReplyDelete

Let's talk!

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images

Subscribe