I need some time to myself. 

At night, Snowflake and Chumley were closed off in their solarium-kitchen compound.  There were two dog crates and a dog bed in there, so they worked it out amongst themselves.  Tupperware storage totes occupied the chairs and couches, so they stayed down.  They were really good. 

A half-hour before sunrise, the automatic shades went up.  That startled Snowflake, so he barked a couple of times, but settled down.  He didn’t have a problem with the shades after that.

In the morning, I get up, go in the kitchen to make coffee, then go online for a while.  When Sparky woke up, I put him in the compound with the other guys.  They’d mill around, see if Santa brought any new toys, look out the window and have some low-key time together.

By 9 am or so, I’d take them out for a walk.  While they were eating breakfast at 10 am, I opened up the kitchen to start the day.