The first thing I do when I get home from anywhere is change into my flannel pants, a sports bra, and a tank top. I can’t remember a time when this wasn’t my routine. Once those flannels are on, there’s almost no chance of me leaving the house again that day. It doesn’t seem to matter if I get home at ten in the morning or five in the evening.

Whenever I change my clothes, Pepper always has to sniff a pant leg. Even with clean clothes, fresh from the dryer, he seems to know what I have planned just by how I’m dressing. If I’m putting on real clothes, he sadly walks to the sunroom and lays down. It’s where he stays when I’m not home. If I put on my walking clothes, his tail starts wagging and he runs back and forth madly until I get his harness and leash. When the flannel pants go on, he jumps onto the bed and settles in….right where I always sit to read, check my email, etc. I have a king sized bed but I always have to encourage him to move, which he will do but only to the foot of the bed where my legs need to go. When my feet are cold, this works to my advantage because he actually likes laying on my feet. He’s a toasty little fur ball!

Dressing for church has been a challenge at times because I’ve had to “dust” my dress clothes before I’ve put them on. That is not the case with my lounge wear. The last two years have been hard on my flannel pants stash. There have been many days, weeks even, when that’s all I’ve worn. The repeated washings have made them so soft and comfy! Unfortunately, my two favorite pair have become threadbare and I’m going to have to throw them away. Maybe. Being just a few steps beyond normal, I think I can get one more wear out of them.