There must be a Murphy's Law that states: Everybody but the guy with
the barking dog can hear it.
It's an amazing phenomenon, yet to be explained. We had an
incident in our neighborhood. If you've never experienced that
special kind of torture, please let me describe it for you.
You drift off to sleep, when you are suddenly awakened by the
sharp report of a barking dog. Your heart pounds and you sit straight
up, trying to focus. Finally, you realize the source.
Now, you don't want to be tricked by falling asleep again. So you
develop the routine of one eye open, so you're not surprised; the
clock tells you that in 2 1/2 hours you must get up.
Then it happens, you've drifted off ... just one bark from the
dog, you've been bamboozled. The result is never to sleep the rest of
the night. When the neighbor was consulted regarding his barking dog,
he explained it was the way the wind carried, he never heard it. One
groggy sleep-deprived morning, I approached him. I admit I was not at
my best.
I suggested perhaps getting neutered might help. I think the hard
feelings came when he realized I wasn't talking about his dog.
NORA BARSUK
Glendale
