Another fold in the space-time continuum
How did it get to Friday again so quickly? Chris and I were talking last night about how pooped we are at the end of the day, how he was listening to a talk radio program about how that’s true for so many people. They work all day, get home and have nothing left. I know it’s true for Chris–his is more physical exhaustion than anything, from lifting huge pieces of steel all day, standing on his feet on a 100+ year old cement floor. For me it’s more spiritual exhaustion, due to the polyester cubicle, fluorescent lights, corporate think, pass-the-buck nature of the work I’m in, paired with the strong desire I have to be at home accomplishing things for me and my family beyond earning money.
But priorities prevail. We thought we had a buyer for the house, but the guy was a fast-talker, pushy and insisting on renting for a month before he took posession. Chris said he’d consider it, did a quick Google search and found the guy has an IRS lien against him and the house he claims to be selling doesn’t even belong to him. Needless to say we’re not too interested in letting him in the house before his cash is in our bank account, cleared and ready for takeoff. If he calls when he’s ready to buy, well that’s a different story.
Meanwhile I’m gearing up for the spring when I’m hoping we’ll get a little more action on it. The basement here needs a serious purge to make room for the last couple of loads in the garage over there. I also need to get our cold frame and rain barrels brought over and set up.
This weekend I’m calling a family meeting to present a master list of things I want to see happen in the next couple of months and asking that we each spend at least 30 minutes at the end of every day doing one of those things. I have to stop being so resentful that I’m the only one who notices that we’re still not unpacked. Apparently, they could live like this forever. I can’t do it alone, so we need a plan and a commitment. Every night we each need to take a half hour to do something towards this goal. More on the weekends. Sort through another box. Gather items for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Thrift Store. Recirculate books. Clean out a drawer or closet. Deal with unused clothing. My goal is for us to be completely unpacked and organized in this house by the beginning of summer so we can enjoy what little free time we have doing things that make us happy (Tyler–riding his bike with his friend Tracey, Lila playing in her sandbox and swimming in her pool, Chris working in his garage, me with my elbows in the dirt).
Speaking of dirt, my 50# bag of potting soil arrived! Now we just have to get some lights set up in the basement. But first I have to make a space for the shelf. See? I could so stay home and work on that today. And I know I’ll be a husk by the time I walk in at 5:45 and will use up the faint shadow of energy to make dinner and clean up, then it’s the rocking chair and a movie then bed. But! It’s the weekend when I wake up next. And I’m on the path now, stepping slowly towards the place in my life where I work for myself and earn an excellent wage. I taste it on the wind.
"Grass is the cheapest plant to install and the most expensive to maintain."
~Pat Howell
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Keep that vision! I finally cleared about half the attic a few weeks back, stuff I’d saved for years. I didn’t bother to look at most of it, just pitched. In our case letting go of the past and making more room for right now…feels sooooo good! But I have to confess I did this when Allan was away in England…otherwise, I know, he’d have been going through every bag and pulling things back out that we ‘might’ use one day!!! He did say thank you though! So, onwards, brave woman!
February 24th, 2007 at 4:35 am
I am forever at work wishing I was at home getting things done. Even worse, I work as a nanny at someone else’s house getting THEIR things done!
February 24th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
I feel like I’m in exactly the same mind space as you right now. Wanting to clean out, organize, and get everything in shape. Also it bothers me that I’m the only one in my house that cares too much about all that.
When you get a chance, please tell me what kind of lights you use for the seed starting. I’ve been looking this up on line and there are a lot of grow lights in a lot of price ranges and I can’t tell which ones are actually good.