hrj

You know that experience where you were going to climb to the top of that rise, but when you get there you say to yourself, "But the summit is just at the top of that next hill there and it wouldn't make sense to stop here." And then when you get to the top of that rise, the summit is really the next little rise (really, truly, your GPS says so), but it's almost dusk and you're really really tired and you still need to get down the mountain before dark when the ice weasels come ....

No? You don't know that one? How about you were planning to clear out one of the three external storage cabinets on the house to identify items for Big Garbage Pickup, and then one of your tenants reminds you that you promised to clear out a second one so she could park her bike in it. And then when you have everything pulled out of those two cabinets, you say to yourself, "You know, I was planning to clear out and organize that third cabinet sometime this summer too." And you know that right now -- when you have the momentum going -- is your best opportunity. And although it's the biggest and most packed and most disorganized of the storage cabinets, you pull everything out of it. And now the front yard is covered with bins of flower pots, old auto parts, assorted garden chemicals (some with no labels), stacks of old paint cans, heaps and piles of camping equipment, and vast quantities of scrap lumber. And you're really really tired but it occurs to you that you need to get it all organized and put away again before dark when the ice weasels come .... Oops, I mean, because in this neighborhood things have a habit of walking away if they're left out after dark.

Well, the cabinets have all been swept clear. New storage racks for the scrap lumber have been constructed so that everything is accessible instead of piled on top of each other. Vast amounts of stuff have been thrown out or set aside for Big Garbage. Slightly less vast amounts have been earmarked for freecycle. The tenant's bicycle has been stabled. The camping equipment has been sorted through and organized more logically. The yard supplies have been consolidated in a single location. And I may never rise from this recliner chair again. (Well, at least not until the stuffed bell peppers have finished roasting. Tonight's patriotic dinner is red (stuffed bell peppers), white (creamed cauliflower), and blueberry muffins.