HOME SWEET HOME, YEAH RIGHT!

Once again, here I sit amidst the clutter. Dust accumulating on all surfaces, oddments of clothing hanging over furniture, a cat draped over the arm of a chair and folded laundry piled up on the kitchen table. Am I ill, not feeling up to my usual happy homemaker self no, sad to say this is just the usual state of the house.

Time was when I never let dust linger for more than a few hours, clothes were diligently put away when laundered and clutter never lingered. Those days are in the distant past.

Yesterday was very busy, up and out of the house before 6.45, drove to OK Falls to help out at an event. It was a fund raiser for the Shrine children and my group was responsible for feeding breakfast and lunch to about one hundred and fifty people. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun, today I am tired and having a day off. This includes neither washing my face nor doing any work.

Dave is also very happy to live in clutter. At the moment we are both sitting opposite each other, totally relaxed, each with a lap top on our knees. In front of Dave is a pair of shoes, a pair of slippers, a big camera bag and a large Quaker oat box (don’t ask). Peeking from under his lap robe are a pair of none too clean socks. He has the fly swatter in one hand and an old sweater hanging off the chair arm. He too is having a day off. Two dogs are reclining on the window seat and, the cat on a chair. I know that at the first little movement both these dogs will be ready to go wherever we go, but not today, exercise is confined to the yard.

I have noticed that the days off are becoming more of a regular thing. After a very busy day we used to have a lazy morning then get going later in the day, this seems to have slipped into a full day of lazing about as we get older. I usually go to the pool each day but even that is too much trouble today, my get up and go has totally gone.

How nice it is to just have a totally relaxing day, to not feel the necessity to do anything. Very indulgent and revitalizing. I used to always feel guilty when I took a few hours off to do nothing, even hair cuts seemed to be like playing truant. Now I find I can enjoy being lazy with no guilt, if people chose to drop in unannounced and find me idling away my time, so be it.

At the end of September we will have filled all our catering commitments and will just be doing smaller events that do not require the heavy work of big group meals. We have cooked and served meals for eighteen years and are finally hanging up our aprons. Community service and volunteering in our service groups will still be a big part of our lives but our days off will be more often. Hopefully we will both enjoy our friends and leisure activities more often, I will be happy to go out for lunch at any time and, I will even wash my face for the event!