Today is Saturday and I started my morning off waking up the same time I do every day of the week and that is 4:30 a.m. in the morning.

I’ve realized how much animals are creatures of habit, or better yet, how much they live by routine and how important it is to them, even though at times it is inconvenient to me.

Usually every morning I get up and feed Charley and Stella at 4:30 and then take her out for her long walk. She lives in an apartment, and she’s an Australian Shepard with high energy so I have to plan more time to work her out in the morning because there is less traffic and noises around. She’s been extra sensitive with traffic noises lately and until I can figure out what the problem is I am resorted to doing her major work- outs in the morning. Not a big deal.

Unless I want to sleep in like I wanted to this Saturday morning.

But, no, alas, at 4:30 this morning, just like an alarm clock, I wake up to her licking my eyelids. Cute, but I mildly pushed her away and told her to go back to bed. What seemed like a few minutes later she did a short, sharp bark and shoved her nose under my hand to let me know she was there and wasn’t taking my wanting to sleep in as an excuse.

Same as it was for Stella, her little sister, the kitty cat. I woke up with her glaring at me and with an almost as sharp of a “meow” as Charley’s bark was.

They were used to the daily routine of getting up at the crack of dawn and eating and going about their business.

I was so bummed. The night before I’d stayed up late catching up on watching t.v. and reading thinking I’d be able to sleep in for the morning.

So the rest of the morning and into the afternoon I’ve been dragging. Those two, Charley and Stella, are totally happy and took their mid-morning to late afternoon nap while I’ve been puttering around here trying to pretend to myself I’m not dragging after a simple night of staying up later than usual.

I have kids that are grown. Why do I have to get up early anymore than I need to is what I am asking myself. Also, who is in charge anyway?

It’s because they like their routine, and are used to it. And I realize when I don’t do the routine I’ve set for them they act up. Just like kids.

For the rest of the afternoon, while they are busy sleeping and relaxing I allowed myself to put on a few movies, and one of them being “The African Queen.” With Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. Humphrey as Charlie and Katherine as Rose.

**Now it is Sunday, and the same morning ordeal occurred. Dang it. Dang routine! At least I know what to expect, as so do they. Which I believe is important in pet’s lives, as well as mine. Oh well….***