This morning I learned that my alarm clock, when it functions, does not turn itself off after a minute or so. Persistent bugger. But it did get me up at 6:00 a.m. when I needed to be to get ready for the sequel to last weeks flea market: that is a yard sale in my actual yard.

The alarm woke up Winston, aka, "The Interactive Bolster Pillow". I don't know if the things he does are things he thinks of - I mean thinks of in the way you and I think things - or if they are just happy accidental collisions of his instincts and general nature. Because my back is so...what's the word Dr.BackCracker used? Oh "Misaligned" - and my legs & lower back spasm at night while I'm trying to get some sleep, I've learned that the best thing for me to do is curl up with one of those long "body pillows". But the very best thing for me is...

to also have some kind of support against the other side of my back while I try to sleep curled up on my side, so that I'm sleeping in kind of a "valley" of pillows. The trouble is that I don't have another long body pillow and even if I did, like the regular pillows I try to use, it wouldn't stay in place.

Anyway, one night, about a week and a half ago, I was fighting with all these daggoned pillows. The Hub had moved over into the other room long ago and Winston woke up from his snore-fest at the foot of the bed to sit and regard me with a deep, sympathetic look attainable by few other breeds besides a mastiff. After awhile, I gave up, turned out the light, and finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. Presently, I sort of woke up, and realized I felt pretty rested and that the "bolster pillow" hadn't shifted. In fact, as I moved a little bit it seemed to move in closer to me, to offer just the right amount of support. It even felt like it was providing a little bit of warmth. Suspicious, I reached back to find that the bolster pillow was a) furry and b) softly snoring.

Yep, it was My Faithful Dog. He had lept up into my bed and was sleeping with his back to my back. "Good dog" I muttered and fell back to sleep. Heaven. A miracle. I told The Hub about it the next morning. "It was such a great coincidence. Too bad I can't train him to sleep with me like that."

I don't know if the validation of "good dog" and the fact that he didn't get kicked out of bed was enough for him, or if he really did understand what I was trying to do with those stupid pillows...but more nights than not since then, I have woken up in the morning well rested with Winston sleeping next to me with his back supporting mine. The strangest part about it is that he won't get up on the bed with me when I go to bed. No matter how much I call him or encourage him, he settles down in his regular spot. It's like he has to wait for me to go through all my tossing and turning, sitting back up to say some more prayers ( since I'm not sleeping anyway - may as well do something useful), decide to get a glass of water, decide to use the bathroom, decide to change my nightgown...all of which he either dozes through or watches with solomn soulful eyes. And then I find that I wake up because I've been asleep a long time....and there he is snuggled up against my back with his head resting between his enourmous paws.

It's humbling to be loved that much. It really is.