Spring Flowers, Summer Weather, and No Stitches!

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

Does your family have a rule about the earliest date the air conditioning can get turned on?

I am always determined not to do it until June, but usually May has some hot days and every year I break my rule.  But March?  MARCH??

Spring is finally officially here, after a week of record-breaking heat in the low-mid 80′s, when we ought to be either freezing in the snow or having lovely, sunny, 65-degree days instead.

 

I’ve sat here with windows open, ceiling fans running, and loving the sunshine.  But I’m HOT!

On the other hand, I’m also loving the spring flowers, and the chance to just sit and look at them.  Hyacinths that came with the house are in full bloom, and the daffodils and tulips I planted in January are not only coming up, but the daffys are actually blooming after only two months in the ground.  And the weeping cherry at the front of the house is incredible.

On the other hand (just how many hands do I have?), I’m generally sitting inside, slouching on the couch with my foot up and an ice pack on it.  Bunion surgery was two weeks ago, and I got my stitches out yesterday – hurray!  (No, I won’t make you suffer through a picture of it.)  I couldn’t wait to get the bandage off, semi-wiggle my toes, and take a real bath.  I still have to wear the blasted most-helpful walking boot for another 3+ weeks, so my off-kilter clumping around is causing a few ankle-knee-hip issues, but those will go away afterwards, right?  RIGHT?

Since I can’t drive (right foot, of course), I’m stuck at home.  Lots of watching TV, reading books, editing, and even some writing.  I take my Kindle out to the deck, sit in the reclining lounger and enjoy the sun and the flowers.  I clump out for the mail, and admire the progress the bulbs are making in front.  And smile.

Okay, so this is a mixed-feelings blog for a mixed-feelings season.  How is your spring starting out?  Are you in the cold or warm section of the country this year?  Or in Alaska, buried in 30 feet of snow?  What’s your most-loved or hated part of our weird seasons this year?

 

 

Twitt
Posted in Gardening, Indiana, Misc | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

St Patrick’s Day in Ireland

Posted on March 14, 2012 by

Shamrocks - pick a few and tuck them in your pocket!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

But first, please save me from American advertising!  Whoever started the change from Paddy to Patty should be taken behind the barn and pelted with cooked cabbage.  Patty is a girl’s name, for heaven’s sake, and nothing to do with the venerated Irish saint.

Patrick, in Irish, is Pádraig.  Pronounced something along the lines of pah-drig or poh-rig, depending on which part of Ireland you’re from (and how much this American can mis-interpret Irish pronunciation).  Pádraig is no doubt where the nickname Paddy comes from, so please don’t say Patty.  Madison Avenue, are you listening?  More to the point, local PR firms putting ads in local newspapers and TV stations, are you listening??

OK, rant over.  I promise.  Maybe.

One more comment about St. Patrick’s name.  If the Irish shorten it to anything, it’s St. Pat’s, or just Patrick.  That seems to go for anything from the holiday to churches to streets. (“Patrick Street” in Cork city is actually “St. Patrick Street,” but hardly anyone says that.)

Americans may think corned beef and cabbage is the traditional celebratory Irish dish, but I’m not sure the Irish know what it is!  (Well, actually, I think Ireland used to make a lot of corned beef, but it all got sent overseas.)  What they do have is “bacon-and-cabbage” which sounds weird but is scrumptious.  Bacon over there is more like our ham, and while I’m sure it can be fixed quickly, some recipes take three days of cooking!  And it shows up year round (bacon and cabbage nights, followed by a dance, are popular fundraisers), not just on March 17.  You’re as likely to find a nice salmon or chicken dish, or even Irish stew, as you are bacon and cabbage for the holiday.

The other thing Americans get hung up on is giant, bright green shamrocks – it can’t be St. Patrick’s Day without them.  I think they’re fun, but you’ll only see them occasionally in Ireland in window displays (very occasionally).

The shamrocks you do see are darling – a small bunch of real shamrocks tucked in a breast pocket or pinned on a shirt.  They’re wilted by the end of the day, but it’s a small reminder to carry with you.  At least, that’s what I saw living half out in the country.  I have no idea what Dubliners do!

"Leprechauns" in the St Patrick's Day parade in Bandon, Co Cork

The standard decorations in Ireland are a lot of flags and Irish colors.  Orange, green and white t-shirts, parade costumes, silly socks, and filling shop windows.  Even the leprechaun costumes are green hats and orange beard.!

Oh yes, the parades.  St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday, and even the smaller towns hold parades.  They may be fancy affairs in the cities, but they’re charming and home-grown in the outlying areas.  Pipe and drum bands, dancers, old fire engines – delightful.  The children watching (and a few grown-ups, too) are often dressed in costumes.

And dancing – it’s not hard to find a céilí (kay-lee) no matter what part of the country you’re in, often combined with a dinner.  It’s great craic, lots of music, dancing with whoever will stand up with you, laughter and pushes in the right direction until you get the hang of it, out of breath and nearly keeling over when you finally take a break.  And taxis to take                                                                                 you home if you have a few too many pints.  Hmm,                                                                                      I think a céilí needs its own post.

Céilí in Carrigaline, Co Cork. (Sorry, camera color wasn't good, sepia is the best I could do.)

Beyond the small local celebrations, Ireland’s cities all have St. Patrick’s Day festivals stretching across several days – stages of musicians and dancers, beer festivals (Guinness, Murphys or something else?), historical walks, children’s games, street performers, scrumptious food, parades, fireworks, and loads and loads of trad music.  You name it, you can find it sometime around March 17th.

For Americans who can’t be in Ireland, it’s usually the music that tugs at our hearts.  So here’s a short clip about Cork’s festival that will have you tapping your toes while you watch.  And happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

Twitt
Posted in Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Driving on Irish Country Roads – with video

Posted on March 9, 2012 by

Have you mastered The Basics?  That’s grand, then, so.  Onward to country lanes:

First, disabuse yourself of the notion that you get to see the Irish countryside when you drive.  Make a rule that the driver looks at the road and the passenger gets to look out the side window if you want to avoid problems.  But don’t worry, the passenger won’t see much either.  Irish country roads tend to be guarded by tall hedges, which the farmers typically use instead of fences.  And which are not see-through.

In the next picture, the thickish green brush curving up the hill is a tall hedge, with a smaller hedge to the right and the road in between.  Drivers here are lucky – they actually get to see to the right, provided they can dodge the potholes on the way up a 10% incline!

Once you know what to expect, prepare yourself mentally.  Some roads are fine, with a center line and all.  But don’t expect much of a shoulder on any small rural road, and while two cars can usually pass just fine, it won’t feel like it.  So be prepared to pull to the left while hitting the brakes.  You may slide against the hedge, but that’s why the side mirrors bump in.  And remember: if you can park a car in a narrow garage space, you can pass someone on the road as long as you’re going slow enough.

Speaking of going slow enough, don’t try to go the speed limit as you begin.  First, speeds are in kilometers, and it’s a little freaky to glance down and find you’re doing 80.  Second, cars will gather behind you, but if you keep an eye out for a driveway to pull over and let them pass, most of them are patient.

Some rural lanes, unfortunately, are two-way traffic, but only one lane wide.  That’s when you watch carefully for wide spots or driveways to pull out in, and either you or the oncoming car may have to back up so the other can pass.  But don’t think you’re on a rarely-traveled road just because one has grass down the middle – somehow you meet almost as many cars there as on one that’s full width!

Here’s a video with my two college-age sons going to visit a friend who lives back of beyond, and it shows!.  (They had been driving in Ireland for about six weeks.)

Other caveats about driving Irish country roads:

Be sure to have a GPS or very good directions, and a cell phone for backup.  Roads are signposted in most cities, but most don’t even have names in the country.  You’re fine on the main roads like the N-71 or R-605, but the small roads are newly signposted (L4601) and no one knows them.  And keep a sharp eye out – your personal directions are likely to include “turn at the big tree,” “we’re two houses past the bright blue house,” or the ever present “turn at the pub.”  Or the one I got, “turn at the pile of rocks,” which was 12 inches high!

Livestock in the road isn’t just a cliche, it’s a real possibility.  If they’re changing fields, just stop and wait and they’ll pass you in a moment.  If you’re driving through their field, go slowly and take pictures!

Connemara in February

Be patient with livestock.

Yes, this really happens. And the b/w Friesan cattle are huge!

What’s next? Maybe Blarney Castle and kissing the Stone, or the Skellig Islands.  Or the Giant’s Causeway.  Bunratty Castle and Durty Nellie’s.  Or . . .

 

Twitt
Posted in Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Driving in Ireland: the Basics

Posted on March 6, 2012 by

The first step toward driving in Ireland is to ride in the front passenger seat with an Irish driver.  When you’ve done that enough so you don’t cringe and lean sideways every time an oncoming car seems to be HEADED DIRECTLY FOR YOU, then you might be ready to shift to the left side and drive.

Remember:

The Irish very thoughtfully provide these signs on the main roads leaving airports.  By the time you stop giggling at the mental image of Hogan’s Heroes’ Sergeant Shultz yelling “Achtung! Drive on Left!” you’ve relaxed.  Until you realize there’s no center line on your small highway and you’re actually back on the right hand side.  But don’t worry, the Irish are generally very patient with dumb Americans and will just nod and continue when you’re finally back on the right correct side of the line.

That center line turns out to be very important.  It reminds you of the correct side even when you’re exhausted from jet lag, driving two hours home from the Shannon Airport.  It helps you not graze oncoming cars as you develop the finer skills of staying in your lane without hitting the hedge on the left.

The center line can, however, be misleading.  Usually, a slow-moving car or fast-moving tractor will pull to the left, driving half-shoulder and half-lane so you can pass.  But if not,  It is not unknown for the Irish to change l-i-n-e to l-a-n-e and go anyway. The N-71, for example, is a good road, traveled by vehicles of all speeds between Cork city and Bandon.  On one particular straight stretch, drivers will often straddle the center line to create a center lane to pass someone, even though there is oncoming traffic.  The oncoming traffic, seeing this, just casually slides to the left side of their own lane, which leaves room for everyone.

Another step to becoming a proficient driver in Ireland is to become coordinated enough to shift with your left hand.  Some car equipment is just reversed from our Stateside norms, like where the steering wheel is.  You must be alert to these things.  A certain someone got into the left front seat and tried to put the key in the ignition before she realized there was no steering wheel filling the space in front of her – after four months of driving in Ireland! (No, it wasn’t me.  I promise.  Pinky-swear, even.  Now hush and let me get back to shifting.)

The problem with shifting is that while a European gear shift is identical to ours, it’s muscle memory that we use to shift, not logic.  And it just doesn’t feel right to pull the stick closer to your body to shift into high gear.  So you set out, toodling safely along down the road, concentrating on logic when you shift.  So far, so good.

But some of us just can’t concentrate on two things at once.  See, two other things that are on the opposite side are stop signs and traffic lights.  And when someone stopped for a red light and the Irish driver behind her honked because it was the other lane’s red light and she should have been going instead of stopping, she got flustered and somehow kept putting the car in 5th gear instead of 1st.  Which made the Irish driver honk again, which made her more flustered.  We won’t mention who that was.

On the other hand, some people are spatially challenged.  Muscle memory only goes so far, and doesn’t seem to translate to mirror-image distances.  Someone’s husband couldn’t shift from 3rd to 4th without landing back in 2nd, or grinding gears horribly.  Which someone never cringed at, of course.

Needless to say, when we picked out our own car (as opposed to the rental we had for a month), we chose an automatic transmission.

Quick answers to commonly asked questions (at least among our friends and family):

  • Yes, the brake and gas pedal are the same as in the US.  You don’t have to switch feet.
  • You can drive in Ireland with your US driver’s license for a short term (a month, I think, but don’t quote me).  If you’re going to stay for a long period, go to a AAA office before your trip and get an International Driving Permit.  Costs about $15 plus a passport-type photo, and that plus your regular license will cover you for a year at a time.
  • Many insurance companies cover you in England and Northern Ireland, but not the Republic of Ireland.  Find out before you go, and if yours doesn’t, get the insurance with the rental car.
  • You want to know about roundabouts?  Ah, they’re grand.  And complicated enough they need their own post.  As do country roads and villages with legal parking half way into the road.  Watch this space!

Now I have a question for you.  My first Irish blog post seemed to be a great hit, and many of you are looking forward to more.  For which I thank you!  But while there is much I could blather on about, is there anything in particular you’re interested in?  Food?  Castles?  Weather?  Strange things people say?  Leave your questions and suggestions in the comment box and I’ll see what I can do.  Thanks for stopping by!

Twitt
Posted in Humor, Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

All Things Irish

Posted on March 1, 2012 by

From my visit to Dun Aengus.

In honor of St Patrick’s Day, and because I still really miss Ireland, I’m going to fill March with All Things Irish.  Or at least all the things that I loved or hated or was entranced/ intrigued/puzzled by during our two-and-a-half years there.

We’re going to start the month out with a movie, set in Ireland of course.  And because it’s my birthday, and because as a child I always wished I had been born a day earlier, on Leap Day, my pick for today is . . .  you guessed it . . . Leap Year.  I only saw this for the first time last night, but that’s probably because I was in Ireland when it came out and it never got there.

Now, I’m not a movie critic, and what I like isn’t necessarily what the critics like, so I’ll stay away from comments about acting or directing.  I do know something about contrived plots but, ahem . . . suffice it to say that it was a cute-but-silly movie.  But oh, did it bring back memories!  It was worth watching just for the scenery.

"Leap Year" - country roads, hedges & cows, oh my!

The narrow country roads lined with hedges, the particularly Irish look of the villages, the dairy cows blocking cars.  The smooth, green hills and stone walls.  The narrow bed in a tiny B&B.  The hail coming out of nowhere on a sunny day.  The gorse in bloom.

Yes, been there, done that.  And I’d do it again.

I even had the thrill of recognizing Dun Aengus and its cliffs at the end.  Okay, it was supposedly on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, and it’s really on the isle of Inis Mór near Galway Bay, but still.  I grabbed Hubby O’Mine and said, “I’ve been there!  I’ve looked out over those cliffs!”  During a break at a week-long writers conference, actually, and . . . hmm,  you’ll have to wait for another post to hear about that.

Leap Year is a movie that has its geography all screwed up, as well as its seasons, but just forget about that and enjoy the scenery.  And Matthew Goode’s soft voice and soulful eyes.  Even if he’s not Irish.  (And okay, I’ll give you guys Amy Adams – she’s gorgeous!)

PS – if you want to know where scenes were really filmed, hop on over to Jerry Garrett’s blog about the locations.

Twitt
Posted in Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Magic in the Oregon Cascades

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

With Dad being fairly stable and Mom not needing to go anywhere, I took the car last Saturday and visited my brother.  Mick is a forester who lives near Oakridge, up the slope of the Cascades from Eugene.  And, oh have I found something to dream of besides Ireland.

We had a delightful lunch in Mick’s favorite pub, stopped at the bakery to enjoy the local sculptures and jewelry for sale, and then drove up the road looking for the turn-off to a trail Mick wanted to show me.  There’s not much snow-pack (which bodes ill for Oregon this summer), but January had a good chunk of rain, especially compared to December.  And when you combine rain with a windstorm, you get occasional trees down.  And then you hope that someone has come along and cleared the road.  We were lucky.

We drove by memory – Mick hadn’t checked map for which four digit logging road we needed.  We followed one up, far enough to hit a bit of snow, then finally turned around.  But the next road was the right one.

I’ve hiked in the Oregon forests before, but mostly when I lived here as a teen.  And mostly on horseback, riding down dirt logging roads – we always chose campsites by the availability of a place to tie the horses near the tent.  We’d head for a national or state forest to cut our Christmas tree, but I’m a wimp and I hated freezing and tromping through snow for hours to find the right tree.  And I was too young for either of those two situations to prepare me for the path to Warm Springs.

Lush and verdant, even in winter.  Mick says the only time it’s not green is when it’s snow-covered.  The Douglas firs are 150-200 years old and you have to bend over backwards to see their tops.  Moss and lichen are spring green, offset by darker ferns.  Mick pointed out huckleberries waiting to leaf out, that make August a wonderful time to come.  The river rumbled down to our left, the trees sheltered us from drippy rain.  I kept stopping to take pictures.  Or just to breathe and take it all in.

We reached a small pool between the trail and the river, delightfully warm.  Not hot, but warm enough that I’d go in if it weren’t winter.  And then it started snowing.  Small bits mixed with the light rain, then all snow, then turning to fluffy flakes.  We were mostly sheltered in the trees, but stepped out by the river again and tried to catch them on our tongues.

Mick, who knows many places like this throughout the northwest, says this is what keeps him sane.

For me, it was pure magic.

Where are your magic places?

 

 

 

Twitt
Posted in Family, Oregon | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Playing in My Mother’s Messy Garden

Posted on February 17, 2012 by

Under last year’s slimy leaves, stalwart crocus were trying to find the sun.  Hidden by a thicket of some silvery-gray leaved shrub, a clump of daffodils caught enough light to try to bloom.

The daffodils, minus the shrub.

I never thought clearing a muddy hillside of weeds and cutting back overgrown shrubs could be this much fun.

January/February in Oregon have felt more like spring than winter.  I’d be singing nyah nyah na nyah nyah to my family back in freezing Indiana, but it’s been pretty mild there, too.  (Until this week, I gather, so maybe I’ll start singing now.)

Anyway, Mom and Dad moved last fall, downsizing from five acres to six.  No, that’s not a typo.  But they had an old house with old house problems, plus too much required upkeep on the garden, the pond, the mowing and weed-whacking.  And that doesn’t count the fences and horse pastures!  So now they live on six acres of mountainside, most of which is deer and woods, in a one-level, doesn’t-need-much modular home.

The amazing thing about this place, though, is the acre and a half of garden.  It’s all landscaped with steps, paths, gazebos and arches, terraced in places with logs, and filled with more plants than you could name.  Amidst the oak and fir trees are masses of lilies, iris, roses, berries, fruit trees, grape arbors, Shasta daisies, honeysuckle, rosemary, and a whole lot we don’t know.  Rich, loamy soil (brought in by the previous gardener) that doesn’t require a pick axe to plant a rose – heaven!

The problem, or delight, is that it’s been abandoned and overgrown for three years.

The metal gazebos are still standing, albeit open-roofed, but the arches have all been pulled over by whatever’s growing up them.  The daisies and iris get identified by huge clumps of dead stalks.  The lily leaves have stayed green all winter, rounded humps that are slimy underneath, with new shoots poking up through the mass.  Spring bulbs, of course, are hibernating and storing energy, so we don’t know what’s going to show up when the seasons shift.

Or so we thought.

Gladiolus in early February!

Misty mornings out with the dogs while Dad’s still asleep, and afternoons in the sun while he’s watching TV – we’re out there most every day cleaning up and making discoveries.  We rake leaves and weeds and find crocus and tulips.  We cut back overgrown perennials like this ugly gray thing Mom calls “Dusty Miller” and find clumps of daffodils.  We pull out tall dead stalks and realize that the leaves coming up underneath are gladiolus.  Glads aren’t supposed to be up in early February!

It reminds me of The Secret Garden, one of my favorite childhood books.  We look at a plant, bend a dead branch and hear it snap, or cut it back and see the green.  I find myself thinking, like Mary, “It’s wick!”

We’ve put one honeysuckle-covered arch back up (at least we think it’s honeysuckle, but it might be clematis or something), and cleaned up the pathway to it and beyond.  And in between throwing Frisbees for the dogs, we’re poking pebbles underneath brick steps to stabilize them so we don’t slid down the mud path those same rambunctious dogs have created.

We haven’t accomplished many of the indoor projects Mom has, but she’ll be wandering through a lush profusion of color all spring and summer.  And we’re having fun together while we do it.

What about you?  Have you ever restored order or made discoveries in an overgrown area?  Created your own “Secret Garden?”  What’s your favorite garden playtime?

 

 

Twitt
Posted in Family, Gardening | 4 Comments

It’s the Little Things that Say I Love You

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

Forget the diamond earrings.  Forget the trip to Hawaii.  I’ll take the little things that say “I love you.”

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I would love diamond earrings or a Hawaiian vacation.  But those are also gifts that are big, one-time events.

And don’t try to pass off the everyday chores as ways he says he loves me.  Yes, I do appreciate that he works hard to support the family, that he takes the garbage out and changes the oil and fixes leaky faucets and washes dishes when I’m busy.  (Hey, we like the traditional division of labor!)

Daily chores are definitely appreciated and do show love, but they don’t make me tingle inside.

What does?

It’s the kiss on the back of my neck while I’m cooking.

It’s him picking up a Snickers bar for me when I send him out for the forgotten Thanksgiving dinner ingredient.

It’s the phone call during a busy workday, just to tell me he’s thinking about me.

It’s his finger tracing down my cheek and the soft look in his eyes as he gives a quick kiss before leaving.

It’s his smile when I smile at the pomegranate he put in my Christmas stocking because I don’t like the traditional tangerines.

There are little things I do for him, too:  notes in his gym bag, bringing home his favorite puzzle magazine, occasional Hershey’s kisses in his lunch, a candlelit dinner, or when I . . . hmm, I’d better stop there.

Little things, but special things.  Things that don’t cost anything, but that show that the quick goodbye kiss isn’t just habit.  Hubby O’Mine, I love you.

What about you?  What little things do you do for your sweetheart?  What does your sweetheart do for you?  Even if we already do little things, we all need more ideas and encouragement, so please add yours to the comments!

 

 

Twitt
Posted in Family, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Minesweeper is an Evil Game

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

Image: motifake.com

Why do I do this?  Middle of the day, late at night . . . Minesweeper sucks me in.  It’s not totally mindless, but I play it when I can’t think any more, or just don’t want to think about hard situations any more.  Unfortunately, I also play it when I can’t figure out what to write, when I don’t want to make phone calls or balance my checkbook or clear off my desk.  And after my usual check-email-one-last-time-before-bed routine, do I actually go to bed?  No, I play yet another game or three or ten of Minesweeper.

Now, it’s not that I love Minesweeper so much.  It bugs me to have a thinking game that begins with random clicks and getting blown up over and over just to get the board started.  I’d much rather play Mahjongg or Freecell or a few others.  But a couple weeks ago my computer started requiring double-clicks in games instead of single.  It wreaks havoc with my carpal tunnel issues, and Minesweeper seems the only game left for me.

I guess that would be okay, but Minesweeper has this evil issue built in.  Hubby o’ Mine calls it the “50-50-90 choice.”  You play carefully, get through the whole 99 squares except for the last two.  You have a 50-50 chance of choosing the one without the bomb.  And a 90% chance that whichever one you pick will be the wrong one.   And for me, it seems to be more like “50-50-100,” ‘cuz I always pick the wrong one.

The degree of evilness should be the same on any minesweeper game, right?  Oh, no, that would be too nice.  Different games from different programmers have different difficulty levels, even at Expert.  The particular one I play (it has a game board large enough that I can actually see what I’m clicking) likes to put at least four 50/50/90 choices in the game.  So what are the chances that I’ll actually win?  And what do I do when I don’t win?

Play another game, of course.

Sigh.

What’s your favorite game to procrastinate?  What chores are you avoiding?  And does anybody have tricks to stop after three games?

 

Twitt
Posted in Computers, Humor | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Being Stuck at Home can be Good

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

To Do Lists (photo by Mark Barner (urbaneye) at Stock.xchng)My at-home college son started a job on Monday – Hurray!

Same son taking my car because his was in the shop, leaving me stuck at home – Boo!

I don’t like being stuck at home.  It cramps my style.  Can’t buy groceries, go to the gym, pop out for a last-minute errand.   I feel . . . um . . . tied down.

On the other hand, I get a tremendous amount of work done.

This trip to my parents’ isn’t just a quickie, and I not only had to figure out what I was taking, but tie up a lot of loose ends as well.  And, being the ever so brilliant procrastinator that I am, I had a lot of loose ends to tie up!

My to-do list in the last week included such things as:

  • Plant daffodils & tulips (Hey, I was busy in October! And even if they don’t bloom this spring, they at least won’t rot in the garage in the summer.)
  • Hang my children’s senior pictures.  (Many others to hang later, but these have been sitting in position on the stairway for at least two months now.)
  • Send invoices for writing/consulting work last summer.  (At least the business client is also a friend!)
  • Find answers to sister’s last-minute genealogy questions and sort through papers and certificates to decide what to bring.
  • Find the final-edit notes for the last chapters of my middle grade time-travel novel to take with me.  (I last looked at these in Ireland, and that was a year ago!  Definitely time to get it sent out.)
  • Finish the current quilt block, get the next packet, and get the squares cut.  (My daughter and I will have to send them back and forth by mail, but I’d like to keep it going.)
  • Re-color the rest of the bathroom grout.  (Not difficult, just tedious, and I didn’t want to leave it for Hubby o’Mine since he’s done most of the renovation work anyway.)
  • Buy groceries.  And more groceries.  And even more groceries.  (Two guys batching it for a couple of months doesn’t usually mean good things for the food budget.)

There was more, but just these would have sent me over the edge in the normal scheme of things.  However, being stuck at home with no car meant I actually had a somewhat relaxed evening and a good night’s sleep last night!  Of course, I did not get the kitchen scrubbed or Hubby’s shirts ironed, but hey, they’re capable grown ups, right?

I can’t be the only one out there doing crazy stuff to get ready for a trip.  What’s on your to-do list before you travel?  What odd, procrastinated chores do you insist on getting done?  Let us know in the comments.

I’m at the airport now, waiting for my flight to be called.  I’ll be in Oregon tonight!  Will post this tomorrow.

 

Twitt
Posted in Family, Oregon, Travel--US | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment