On the Edge

November 12, 2022

The title says a lot. I’m very sure that over the last two weeks as we crossed the 30 day mark in the RV I’ve felt that I’m living on the edge. On the edge of a mental explosion. On the edge of taking a new path. On the edge of my bed….

The bed reference is what started the rant inside my head. Our sleeping arrangements are not ideal. First we went from our comfy Sleep Number bed to a very hard mattress on a piece of plywood. We put a 3 inch quality mattress topper on it which has made it very comfortable…..if we can actually find a space to lay on the bed. It’s a king so there should be plenty of room, right? The pups are used to laying on something soft and comfortable. At the old house, Bexley would lay in her nice comfy dog bed in our bedroom, and Kasha would lay on the oversized chair and ottoman in the living room then join us in bed in the middle of the night. She’s a snuggler! The RV floor is drafty and cold even with the rugs we have put down so the pups don’t want to sleep on it, which leaves the loveseat or the bed. I definitely have to compete for space on the loveseat in the evenings. If I am sitting on it with one of the pups, it’s like being at a bar where if you leave your spot, there is someone immediately sweeping in to take it when you decide to go to the bathroom.

Greg has gotten the short end of the stick on the sleeping arrangements. He has spent most of his sleep time in the “not a LazyBoy” recliner. He’s tried sleeping on the hard “living room” floor and the pull out loveseat too. The floor is pretty cold even though we have now put up the alien barrier. Plus the floor space is barely long enough to accommodate his length, and he’s not in the above average height category :). The pullout is advertised as a full size bed. If you don’t mind a bed that has three levels. When folded out, it doesn’t fold out flat. Maybe if you position your body so the each of the three level changes hit certain spot in your body, it could be comfortable. Let’s just say Jenna is finding a real bed to sleep in when she comes home for the holidays.

By the way, don’t feel sorry for Jenna that we decided to make this life decision to sell the only home she’s ever known and allow her the choice of a tri level pullout or a bed in the barn that doesn’t have a roof yet! She has lots of real bed offers clamoring for her attention. No, I’m not talking about boys!!! I’m mean that her sister and grandmas all want her to stay with them so they can spend time with her.

Back to being over the edge. This morning….it’s a Saturday by the way…..I awoke at 6am for no reason at all to find Greg once again in the recliner. Both dogs were spread full body against me. As I heard Greg stir in the “far away” living room, I made the comment that he didn’t last long in the bed last night. He said that Bex was “pig-digging” her four large paws into his side so he gave up and went to the recliner. I laughed and said, “well I have come to learn how to sleep on the edge.” If I were to measure it, I’m guessing I use about 12 inches of the width of the bed trying to give Greg room with the dogs. Good news is that I can normally sleep anywhere, so 12 inches of the bed works for me.

As time has gone on, we have come to a better sleeping arrangement, at least for me. Kasha goes to the bed at about 8pm so she can stake her claim. I follow later, and Bexley stays on the pull out loveseat with Greg. Greg seems ok with this as he’s never really slept long in a bed anyway plus he’s trying to solidify his claim that he is Bexley’s favorite. For now it works for everyone but Bexley. She feels left out and gives me the evil eye when I try to give her some love before bed, but I will take that and the additional space in the bed!