Shortly after midnight I realized the bed felt really spacious, particularly by my feet. I kicked my leg one direction, nothing. The other direction, the husband. It felt great to be able to stretch my legs completely. Then, it dawned on me. There was no dog on the bed.
We started letting Lulu sleep on the bed when we were grieving the loss of Nickel. And, then, we never put a stop to it. The only time Lulu doesn’t sleep on our bed is when there’s a thunderstorm.
But there was no thunder. However, the ceiling fan and tower fan in our bedroom drown out most outside noises. I lay in the rich stupor of almost sleep when I finally heard it. I opened my eyes, and, then, I saw it. Old as she is, that darn dog’s hearing and eyesight are still sharp.
I found her under a table in the corner of the great room. She let me hold her as I squeezed a few drops of Rescue Remedy on her tongue. This trick worked a few weeks back during another thunderstorm that hit in the middle of the night. Is there some scientific reason why these storms always come at night?
At 12:55 a.m., I carried Lulu to the guest bedroom where heavy curtains keep the room dark. She panted. She shook. She drooled. She paced. Then, she’d stand stock still. Then, spin in a circle and lie down, only to get up minutes later, spin the other way and lie down again. The Rescue Remedy wasn’t working, even with additional infusions.
My mobile phone blared at 1:00, 2:57, and 3:29 followed by the landline as the flash flood warning kept getting extended and the rain kept coming and the thunder kept rumbling.
I didn’t sleep until after 5:00 a.m. Then, I woke when my phone blared again at 7:20. While I didn’t get much sleep last night, the upside is for a rare few long hours, I didn’t think about COVID-19.
The island is soggy today. Roads flooded. Roads closed. And in, at least, one case, a road blew out. It’s gone. Trees fell and rushed down rivers, crashing into bridges, clogging drainages, and, generally, causing a real mess. If COVID-19 wasn’t enough to keep people at home today, the storm slammed the door shut on any thought of venturing across the island.
Hawaii jumped to a new statewide total of 151, up 29 cases. We have six new cases on Kauai for a total of 11.
Be well.
kimsrogers.com 
Poor Lulu! Our Milo got all trembly last night from a fire alarm going off–on a TV show! Their hearing is too good…. And those photos, wow. Nature is really having a go at us all.
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Dog senses are amazing, yes. Lulu’s head even pops up during a storm on a TV show.
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I hope that Lulu and you can get some rest today!
It’s amazing that these fur babies can predict impending storms.
We had two labs, Buffy and Cooper, that did the same thing. Back then they didnt have calming drops for them during storms. I gave them children’s benadryl and sat on the floor with them.
Wow! The destruction of your storm is sad!
Take care and be safe!
Love and hugs
Connie
On Sun, Mar 29, 2020, 12:00 AM Kim Steutermann Rogers wrote:
> Kim Steutermann Rogers posted: “Shortly after midnight I realized the bed > felt really spacious, particularly by my feet. I kicked my leg one > direction, nothing. The other direction, the husband. It felt great to be > able to stretch my legs completely. Then, it dawned on me. There was no ” >
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Lulu and I slept great last night. Although I admit to waking up now and then and carefully listening for thunder and/or blinking open my eyes to check for lightning! Be well, Connie Kay!
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Hope Lulu is OK the Island was in a mess yesterday. take rescue remedy for yourselves.
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You’re right, Diane, we all need Rescue Remedy. The island, too.
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I wasn’t aware of rescue drops. My Springer spaniel Jesse James has separation anxiety. Takes Prozac. So so sorry to.see my sweet Kauai hurting once.again. Stay safe Kim.
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Thanks, Kay. Good news: Today is clear!
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Kim, please get meds for Lulu for thunderstorms. They are not long lasting and can be given as needed. She shouldn’t have to suffer like this during storms. Ask your vet. Poor puppy.
Pictures are unbelievable. Hope the bridge is structurally OK.
Lois
Sent from my iPad
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Hi Lois, I will definitely do that. Lulu never used to react to storms, only as she’s gotten older. I get it. My body processes stress and anxiety differently now than it did 20 years ago. This was a buggah of a storm, too, went on forever. We have a great vet. I’ll call her on Monday. xo
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Wow. Quite the storm. Thank you, Kim, for your posts on both. I’m really appreciating these–keep them coming! My favorite detail from Week One: your spelling of “doe” in your Grandma’s Coffee Cake Recipe episode.
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Right! I wish I could remember how old I was when I wrote out that recipe!
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Hi, thanks for writing!
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And thank you for reading;-)
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