No work tomorrow, a warm evening and an eager Sheltie all point toward a night spent camping in the backyard.  So after the nightly news concluded I pack myself, several pillows, the cell phone, house keys and Katie up and we head out into the darkness.  As always, she prances excitedly out to the tent and plops herself down on her pillow in front of her window. I settle in myself, happy to be out there again.

But it turns out neighbors up the road are having some sort of party that includes loud cars and raised voices, even dogs barking.  Katie doesn’t barked once, though she sniffs a bit at her window before settling down with a big sigh, then rolling over onto her back, her favorite sleeping position.  Me, I’m a person who likes to sleep curled up on my side, but my hip aches, the result of five very busy hours on my feet at work this afternoon.  No way to be comfortable except flat on my back which just isn’t conducive to sleep for me.  I roll around enough to wake Katie up, and she stands over me as if to say “MOM!  Just settle down, will you?  A girl needs her beauty sleep, and you’re keeping me awake!”

Far off lightening flashes and a hint of thunder floats.  Or maybe it’s  just another car out on the road.  Hard to tell.  I shift again.  Now my arms and neck ache.  And I’m hot.  Katie sighs and goes back to her window, checks everything out and curls up in sleep.  I roll over again; fling off the covers.

Somewhere off in the distance I hear it begin to rain and soon rain taps on the roof of the tent.  Katie is so sound asleep she doesn’t stir until I wake her while zipping closed the windows.  Even then she just rolls back over onto her back.  I listen to the rain, enveloped in the sound, cozy in my space.  The temperature begins to drop and finally I nod off to sleep.

But I should have used the bathroom before I ventured out.  And taken some asprin for my hip.  Turns out Katie is as excited to go for a walk when we’re headed back to the house as she was when we were headed out until she figures out that she’ll get her feet wet.  Rather than argue with her at 3 in the morning I carry her across the backyard and put her down in the house.  I notice how loud the refrigerator is, how cool the air conditioned air.

As I wait for the asprin to kick in, writing this and watching evangelistic television Katie is curled up at the foot of the bed after letting out still another big sigh.  Turns out if you are a Sheltie you can sleep anywhere.  Regardless of how silly your Mom is.