Picking Up Sticks

This weekend has been like a game of pick-up sticks, that handful of wooden sticks that you hold onto and then let go ... and try to pick up one at a time without disturbing any of the others. Sometimes, I just want to pick them all up at once, rather than having to deal with one stick at a time, but life gives us lots of little sticks, so we deal with what we have, rather than what we want.

Anyhoo, I've cleaned, changed the sheets and towels, done laundry, paid bills, filed paperwork, contemplated the increased mess in the garage from the additions donated by son prior to our departure for Canada, and spent some time thinking about all the little sticks I still have to pick up.

The pile of crushed rock is no longer on the driveway as I shoveled it into the wheelbarrow and spread it throughout the backyard, wherever there was a low or bare spot. I also replanted the foliage along the garage slab as those plants died during the 10 days I was gone. I've put together a temporary watering system using soaker hoses, but don't know if it'll do the job while I'm gone this time. It only takes about 10 minutes each evening to water all the plants, which is the preferred method, but I hate asking my house sitter to do that ... but I'm going to have to impose on him as I cannot afford to replace plants again.

I scooped poop, found more rocks and finished the path at the edge of the paver patio, and contemplated how to stabilize the wooden table before sanding and painting it. I'm going shopping before I leave on my vacation, so will see if I can find chairs so my housesitter can use the table if he wants to sit outside. I also need 6 new pairs of cropped socks to wear with my athletic shoes as I've worn mine out with all the outside work I've done.

The sink isn't going to be repaired prior to my departure, so I'll instruct my sitter not to use the garbage disposal as it not only doesn't work, but it leaks. I'm allergic to mold, so can't have water leaking into the cabinet under the sink and causing mold to grow.

I made reservations for a motel in the Boston area, the first leg of our summer adventure. The hotel is about 15 miles from downtown, but close to the aquarium and Salem, 2 of the attractions we want to visit. It'll be a long drive the first day, but then we'll stay put and explore, which will be fun. We have a movie camera, digital still cameras, and, as of tomorrow, a small computer to take along so we can write our story about our adventures.

Because I can't wait to leave, I'm already packing -- and making lists of the electronic items I don't want to forget! It used to be easier to go places and do things ... . I"m taking one bag, but a bigger bag than I took on the drive to Canada, so will have to steel myself not to complain if I have to pay the airline to transport it.

After all, the ticket I bought is for me, not for a suitcase, to fly to PA, right?