Part 66 ~ The Adventures of King Ben & Zeus the Big Dumb Dog

If you missed the start of this series, you can find it here. A lot of things will be the same or very similar.

Once again I was awake until after midnight. I take my sleeping pill around 10:00 but I just seem programmed for later nights. The Bounce was at 5:30 this morning. Not unreasonable. It was followed by cuddles. I like that kind of Bounce. The next thing I knew, my alarm for the 6:30 meds was going off. Wha the…?

Apparently Daughter had woken up at 5:00 and heard Ben get up. (She called out of work last night. She had one paid sick day left and she would’ve lost it if she didn’t use it. They cash out her vacation days, but not sick days. She’s off tonight and tomorrow night also) She got up to use the bathroom and Ben followed her back to her room. I was dozing and felt him get up, but figured it was just a potty run like usual. It was nice to get some extra ZZZZZs. I still fought to keep my eyes open, even after that.

I got up to make sure she had the med box and to uncover Sven, get more coffee and use the bathroom. Then I went back to Horizontal Time. I made my bed first though and laid on top of the blankets. Daughter thinks I’m crazy for making my bed every morning, especially since I spend as much time as possible laying down. It’s a transitional thing and a neatness thing. Our house generally looks like the aftermath of a tornado (Tornado Ben) but I do what I can, where I can.

Back to Horizontal Time and emails, WP, checking texts I may have missed… the usual. Also trying to keep from dozing back off, and thinking about that dream from yesterday. Daughter was teasing me “Mama is gonna get a boyfriend”. Ben came and joined me and Zeus around 8:00.

Everything was chill for a while, then around 9:15 Ben reached over and hit Zeus, not hard, but for no reason. I told Ben, No. Then he would randomly yell out. I don’t know what he was watching or if that had anything to do with it, but he was getting increasingly spazzed out. He started attacking empty juice pouches with his plastic Sweeney Todd razor. I ran away and hid in the bathroom around 10:00. He was making me feel anxious.

At 10:15 I heard him bang his head on the front door and fall down. Daughter said “Oh dear! Are you okay?” which is a standard response when he randomly does the head bang thing. I got out of the bathroom and went to intervene. He had gotten up, then hit his head and fallen a second time. I told him I would help him and took his hands to pull him up. Zeus was underfoot barking his Big Dumb head off. A barking dog does NOT help defuse a stressed situation.

I got Ben standing and walked him to my room. I put him in my bed and told him he should rest, since he was “Not Very Well” (another Peppa Pig episode). His tablet had died, so I gave him mine and plugged his in. I got him juice and snacks since he was “Not Very Well” and told him to rest. Daughter brought his meds in a few minutes later.

It took a little while but he calmed down. He hung out with me in my room until 11:30 or so. I was writing an email when I heard him stomping on the inflated plastic that is used as packing. Not the little bubble wrap but the strips of big bubbles… Anyway, I save them so he can stomp them. Then he was slamming the bathroom door, getting excitable again.

Just before noon I went out to check on Sven and give him some fresh food. The arugula was mostly soggy, clumpy and gross. I found a few usable leaves and added some celery leaves and some blueberries. I guess I’ll need to go out tonight to get some greens for everyone’s favorite lizard.

The alarm went off on my phone for the noon Adderall while I was putting Sven’s salad together. I said out loud, mostly to myself, as I turned the alarm off “My phone is telling me it’s med time.” Of course Daughter got all upset. She said I spend too much time thinking about his meds. I told her that I generally give him meds four out of five times daily and I DON’T think about it, that’s why I have alarms set on my phone.

Ben had set up a “bed” on the floor with a towel to lay on, a pillow and the couch throw blanket. Daughter had the Adderall in the syringe and was calling to him to get up and come take the med. (She has him come to her, I usually take the meds to him.) After calling to him and being ignored several times, I just took it from her and doped his face. I was standing near there anyway. I went back to my room afterwards and Ben followed about five minutes later.

Since Ben was in my room, Daughter went to her room. Just as I thought he would, Ben said “Gramma come living room!” So off we went. The AC was on in there… better for Ben and for Zeus, who was panting so much it was causing a bedquake. My room was getting kinda warm. It’s supposed to possibly hit triple digits on Tuesday and Wednesday (38°C). If that happens, the AC will be running full time instead of getting switched on at noon or 1:00.

Ben started doing the drumming thing on the couch, which is fine. Then he wanted to turn around and face me doing it, which is NOT fine. I knew he’d wind up hitting me, and he did hit me when I was grabbing my tablet out of the way. He then decided to lay down facing me. Good choice!

My phone told me to dope his face at 2:00, so I did. He laid down watching his tablet for a little while. He sat up and ate a few little bags of popcorn, then he wanted me to do some Barber Chair repairs. Then he went to do that thang with the chalk. I did as commanded and tried to stay awake.

I guess it’s about time to play a song and go take care of the nightly food, bath, bed things. So, here’s the song, because I used the word excitable earlier… word to song associations. They don’t always have anything to do with each other…

And that’s another mixed day at Casa Cuckoo. It was mostly chill with intermittent periods of spaz. Wanna come hang out tomorrow and do it all again? I’ll probably be doing laundry tomorrow, that’s exciting. I’ll be here, nodding off on the couch or taping something or drawing something… really, I never know what might happen. Whatever happens, you’re welcome to tag along! Later, Dudes.

Hugs!!