The joy of the three-day weekend
The Grumps are so far gone, I can barely remember them. Today is the kind of day I'd love to have more often. Slept 'til 8:30, then showered, fed Rocky and read the Week in Review from yesterday's Times while I ate my oatmeal. (Yes, it is chilly enough for oatmeal-eating... another sure sign that fall is upon us, even if the calendar doesn't agree.)
I got some laundry going; typically, D. takes care of that, but he had to be at work at 7 a.m. today and has been feeling lousy, so I figured I'd take care of it while I do other stuff around the house. I made some coffee, and came to my newly spiffy desk to take care of my work - putting the finishing touches on a story I wrote and editing one of my staffers' stories. I went on a major cleaning/organizing binge Saturday morning; the desk had become essentially the only place in the house that we allowed to collect clutter - big, messy, unconnected clutter. For a while, that was ok, but we both spend so much time at this desk that it became stressful. Clearing the mess took a while - to get papers off the desk, I had to make room in the over-stuffed file cabinet, which meant I had to make room in the overflow file box in the basement - but was oh-so-rewarding. I shredded bank records from the accounts I had in New Mexico in 1995, as well as the lease for the apartment I rented in Boston in 1997, not to mention about a jillion other useless pieces of paper.
So in any case I've finished my editing, taken care of some work e-mails and gotten the laundry underway. Also on the agenda today are a couple cooking projects: quick pickles - I found a better recipe than the verrry tart one I made a few weeks back - and some salsa verde with the tomatillos we picked on Friday. I may get around to washing some windows - they've needed it for a while, but the spray-washing before the house was painted made the need very apparent. I can at least get to the ones on the shady side of the house today. And I'm hoping to get a short hike in at some point. D. should be home in an hour or so, but he's not feeling well, so my afternoon activities likely will be without him.
The three-day weekend really should be standard. I've had time to do domestic things that need doing, but aren't the must-do items that are typically all I can accomplish on a normal, two-day weekend. I've gotten some outings in, and have spent time cooking and relaxing with D. We even watched a movie last night - Krzysztof Kieslowski's Red, which I think I saw many years ago, back when I had that New Mexico bank account, actually. Anyway, I find it so satisfying to get to the bigger projects around here - both the household maintenance and the food preservation. I love my morning alone, tapping away on the keyboard while listening to my favorite radio station. And I love the anticipation of an afternoon adventure when the work is done.
Would I be so chipper if it were gray and rainy outside? Maybe not. But I'm content and mellow right now, which is about the best I can expect.
I got some laundry going; typically, D. takes care of that, but he had to be at work at 7 a.m. today and has been feeling lousy, so I figured I'd take care of it while I do other stuff around the house. I made some coffee, and came to my newly spiffy desk to take care of my work - putting the finishing touches on a story I wrote and editing one of my staffers' stories. I went on a major cleaning/organizing binge Saturday morning; the desk had become essentially the only place in the house that we allowed to collect clutter - big, messy, unconnected clutter. For a while, that was ok, but we both spend so much time at this desk that it became stressful. Clearing the mess took a while - to get papers off the desk, I had to make room in the over-stuffed file cabinet, which meant I had to make room in the overflow file box in the basement - but was oh-so-rewarding. I shredded bank records from the accounts I had in New Mexico in 1995, as well as the lease for the apartment I rented in Boston in 1997, not to mention about a jillion other useless pieces of paper.
So in any case I've finished my editing, taken care of some work e-mails and gotten the laundry underway. Also on the agenda today are a couple cooking projects: quick pickles - I found a better recipe than the verrry tart one I made a few weeks back - and some salsa verde with the tomatillos we picked on Friday. I may get around to washing some windows - they've needed it for a while, but the spray-washing before the house was painted made the need very apparent. I can at least get to the ones on the shady side of the house today. And I'm hoping to get a short hike in at some point. D. should be home in an hour or so, but he's not feeling well, so my afternoon activities likely will be without him.
The three-day weekend really should be standard. I've had time to do domestic things that need doing, but aren't the must-do items that are typically all I can accomplish on a normal, two-day weekend. I've gotten some outings in, and have spent time cooking and relaxing with D. We even watched a movie last night - Krzysztof Kieslowski's Red, which I think I saw many years ago, back when I had that New Mexico bank account, actually. Anyway, I find it so satisfying to get to the bigger projects around here - both the household maintenance and the food preservation. I love my morning alone, tapping away on the keyboard while listening to my favorite radio station. And I love the anticipation of an afternoon adventure when the work is done.
Would I be so chipper if it were gray and rainy outside? Maybe not. But I'm content and mellow right now, which is about the best I can expect.
posted by mc at 11:13 AM
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