Three nightmares

Hot, humid summer nights can lead to restless sleep and maybe a few nightmares. Bob and I have had our share this past week.

My first restless night started at two in the morning. I couldn't sleep. My mind was on Farm Technology Days and what I was going to say. I planned on a PowerPoint presentation with photos, but deciding on what stories to tell had my thoughts whirling.

I got up to go to the bathroom, crossing the near-dark room, trying not to step on our dogs that were sprawled out on the floor. I took my time in the bathroom. Ideas spun around my brain about how to encourage others to save their family stories.

It wasn't too long before I was heading back to bed, but my thoughts were on ideas, not on where I was going. I forgot about Booker lying next to the bed. Suddenly, I was flying through the air trying not to smash the dog or my head against the wall.

Somehow I didn't smash the dog or my head, but my feet tangled up with his and one foot ended up wedged under the bed frame, toes bent flat on the floor, and foot at a right angle, heal up. By then I was on the floor, trying to figure out how to remove my wedged foot when I got a leg cramp.

"Are you okay?" Bob mumbled.

When I said I was he turned over and went back to sleep. Of course, I couldn't. My leg ached, my foot hurt, and by that time both dogs had their noses in my face, trying to help me, but sure I was okay.

Too bad I couldn't turn over and go back to sleep. First, I had to get up off the floor - that was nightmare #1.

The following night, about the same time, I was finally sleeping soundly when all of a sudden someone whipped the covers off of me. Of course, it was Bob, but why the heck would he do that? Was the bed on fire? No. It turned out that my husband had rolled out of bed, pulling the covers with him onto the floor.

It was my turn to ask, "Are you okay?"

Bob said he was and lucky for Booker, the dog hadn't been lying next to the bed.

With a bit of kicking to free his legs from the tangled sheet, Bob came up chuckling. "I was having a dream. I was sitting on a pile of scrap iron, talking to Rob. We were next to a camper. When I looked in the camper window I saw two bears walking around."

"They were walking past, outside?" I asked, like his dream was rational.

"No they were inside the camper, walking around on their two back legs. I was just about to point them out to Rob when I looked down and saw a giant bear paw coming out from under the scrap iron, getting ready to grab my legs. I jumped to get away and that's when I fell out of the bed," Bob said as he replaced the blankets. "I think that news story about those chimpanzees pulling that guy under a fence and mauling him must have been on my mind."

I rolled over and went back to sleep.

The last nightmare was the worst. I had spent a very hot day trying to avoid the heat. Mostly, I was working on my Farm Technology Days presentations.

Late that afternoon, I drove into Green Bay to give our son-in-law, Andy a ride to the repair shop to pick up Rebecca's car. Even though it hadn't been an eventful day, I was tired and fell asleep in front of the television before the late news came on.

When Bob and I woke up and went to bed, I felt chilled. I chalked the cold feeling up to the fact that I had been sitting under the ceiling fan. Around one in the morning, I changed my mind about the chills. Now I was going from shaking to baking and back again.

I put on socks to help warm myself, and then my stomach suddenly felt sour. Without waking Bob, I went downstairs, figuring that it would be safer if I sat up in the recliner.

At five thirty, the dogs wanted to go outside. I thought I had beat the illness. I had made it through the night without throwing up, but I was wrong. The virus hit full force then - I won't go into vivid details, let's just say it wasn't pretty.

I'm still weak from that third nightmare, but recovering. Luckily, Bob never caught it and it came before Farm Technology Days.

Thank goodness.

Remember I'll be speaking all three days. Catch me in both the Youth Tent and the Family Living Tent. Bob will be there, too and I'll have books to sell. See you soon.

Susan Manzke, Sunnybook Farm, N8646 Miller Rd, Seymour, WI 54165; Sunnybook@aol.com; www.susanmanzke.net; http://www.facebook.com/susan.manzke.