I had to put on the heat this morning.

The alarm went off at 5 AM, as it usually does for our weekday 'Bucks and back run. By 5:15 the feet must hit the pavement in order for EJG to make it there, back, showered, shaved, and ready to report for duty at school by 7:30. One toe outside the blanket and all plans were aborted this morning. The temperature was way too low for me to convince myself to leave the warm family bed for the cold outdoors.

Unfortunately my body knows when it's wake-up time, so I lay there reviewing my to-do list. Damn, that I can't put checks in any little boxes while I snuggle beneath the blankets with EJG an IMG. Normally I would just get up and putter around the house, but again, the temperature was way too low for me to convince myself to leave the warm family bed for the cold kitchen where my laptop waited for me.

"Friday morning, it's Friday morning" was the song ringing in my head. After the never-ending yesterday we neglected to pull the trash cans out to the curb. We can't miss trash day, not this week. Then we'll have no place for turkey carcass, potato pie tins, and all the other festive trash we plan to generate next week. Plus we always need room for the cat box refuse. Yet the temperature was way too low for me to convince myself to leave the warm family bed to haul the trash to the end of the driveway.

In the bed, sleepless, with the imminent need to exercise, check off the list, and beat the trash collectors, my head swirled. There was only one solution. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Mississippi. Yep, that was all it would take. In five seconds I could dash across the house, hit the thermostat, and make it back to bed.

Ouch, the breezes created by my dash across the house. Disappointing the kitties, I failed to stop at the pantry where their treats are stored. I passed every light switch and felt my way through the house, hands out Frankenstein-style. Five seconds and I was back in bed, waiting for the house to warm up enough for me to emerge from the blankets and be my normal, productive self. I can do all of the to-do, bundle up for the trash can schlep, and have everything ready for a run in the Friday afternoon sun. Today will be just fine, I thought.

Shoot. All that cold air made me have to tinkle. And I don't even want to describe the sound I made when the flesh hit that cold seat.