What is it about spring that creates such a sense of urgency to get so much accomplished before summer arrives? Do you all have a To Do list like mine? You know, the kind with
Wash the front porch and deck (which are both covered in a lovely layer of fine, yellow pollen)
Wash the cars (see above)
Wash the windows (I'm willing to skip the ones that nobody but us looks out)
Paint the guest room and my office (This has been on my list for a few years now and every spring I say, this is the year!)
Buy annuals and replacement perennials for flower beds and pots on deck. Plant them!
Tackle the weeding before it gets out of hand. (Too late!)
Get the carpets cleaned.
Schedule A/C tune-up before the heat & humidity arrive.
Continue sorting and posting photos recently shot on a couple of trips to Missouri.
Store all the winter clothing and gear that was tossed into a big pile in the basement over a month ago.
Start brushing Annie on a regular basis. She's beginning to blow her winter coat and we're back to dealing with all that beautiful dog hair.
Start using the Swiss exercise ball I bought over a month ago (and have only used once!). Thank goodness I decided to get that rather than a Wii Fit. I'm only out $25 if it doesn't get used as often as it should.
Post new recipes on my food blog. It's been neglected for far too long and I really want to try this recipe.
Read more! I'm still reading the same book I started two weeks ago. It's not long or involved. I'm just too busy (or tired) to read more than a few pages every night.
Post my monthly summary for April! We're almost halfway through May, for heaven's sakes.
So, what exactly have I been doing for the past month or so? Well, I've been spending a lot of time playing around with my photos, posting a daily shot on my Aminus3 blog, as well as perusing my favorite photoblogs. Plus, my work schedule was tweaked a little bit after the holidays and rather than have my afternoons free, I've been getting home right about dinner time. After a long walk with Annie-dog, a glass of wine (or two), and dinner & dishes, I'm too tired to do much of anything else. Of course, you'd think since I don't have to leave for work until 10:45, I'd have plenty of time to get some of these projects accomplished, but I'm just not that productive first thing in the morning. However, I go back to my 7-2 shift next week, so I have high hopes of crossing some of these tasks off my list before autumn rolls around.
Too bad this blog post wasn't on my To Do list. It'd be nice to finally have something to cross off! :)
Oh me too - but I think right now I'd only have one thing on my to do list. That would be read more. I've got about 12 books I want to read 'NEXT'.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to call in 'sick' and stay home and finish Cutting for Stone - I'm loving this book.
Your to-do list reminds me rather eerily of my own. Except for the dog hair, since we have a cat. But I'm sure someone should probably give her a brushing too!
ReplyDeletePhew! Another person who doesn't get too much done first thing in the morning...
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the reasons I love a teacher's schedule: the summer finally gives me some of the much needed time I crave.
I do admire how you keep up with your own blogs, and those you read, Les.
I hear you sister! Just a little more time...my house is never clean enough, the laundry is never done enough, the yard is never weeded enough...sigh......
ReplyDeleteI think I will go bury my head back in my book!
*smiles and lots of understanding*
Kim
Why do we busy ourselves the way we do? I'm trying hard to un-busy myself...to let things go....It will all get done.
ReplyDeleteI think the increase in daylight makes me ambitious in the spring. Washing the deck and porch are on my list too. And I always need to read more.
ReplyDeleteWell, we had that kind of a do list but then we sort of missed spring. I never managed to plant a thing! The weeds are a disaster (thank goodness I have plenty of flowers that returned on their own, so at least I have front gardens), the windows still need washing (I got around to washing two of them and one set of shutters, but that's it), the winter clothing is still piled up, the house is a mess.
ReplyDeleteYeah. I can relate. I wish we hadn't dived straight into summer, but we had a very, very short spring.
WHEW! I just read a great quote I'm going to post soon about this very thing. Whether one has an outside job or not, whether one lives where there are hard, long winters or not, it just seems like spring makes us antsy, excited, overwhelmed, on and on. I guess that's why they call it spring fever.
ReplyDeleteSuziQ - I actually found time to sit out on the deck and read for an hour or so this evening. Pure bliss. This was a good weekend to get caught up around the house. Feels so good to have all those dust-bunnies gone! :)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to find out what Cutting for Stone is all about, if it's one you'd call in sick to read. I haven't had one like that in a while.
Belle - I think I have the dog-brushing under control, at least for the next few days. Thank goodness she's getting groomed next weekend. Maybe they can get rid of some of her winter coat! Thanks for visiting my blog.
Bellezza - Nope, I sit and drink my coffee as I read emails, look at my favorite book blogs, look at my favorite photo blogs and pretty much run out of time before it's time to dash off to work.
Don't admire me too much. My posts are running a bit sporadic, especially here and on my food blog. At least I'm still able to post a daily photo on Am3.
Kim - Well, the laundry is all finished, the floors and bathrooms are clean, but I never got to the weeding (or planting). There's always tomorrow, though, right? :)
DebNance - I have no idea why I put so much pressure on myself to get it all done by a certain date. The world will not end if I don't get the weeds pulled until June. The plants will be just fine if I get them in the ground a week late. Nobody really notices dust, do they? I did make appointments to get the A/C tuned (Tuesday) and the carpets cleaned (Friday), brushed the dog twice in the past three days, convinced my hubby to wash my car (it's so little, it really doesn't take him that long!), and I've been working on my photos, so things are looking up. Now if only that darned Swiss Ball would accidentally pop, I'd be in good shape, so to speak! :)
Melanie - The deck and porch are next on my list. I'm just waiting until the last of the pollen has fallen!
Nancy - It's been a few years since I've planted annuals, depending solely on all the perennials for color. My excuse was that they'd need too much attention (water) and with a couple of long vacations lined up, it'd be money down the drain. However, I do enjoy all the pretty colors of annuals, so this year I'll bite the bullet and get them planted and then try to find a kind soul to watch over them while we're out of town this summer.
Nan - Can't wait to read your quote! Yep, spring definitely makes me antsy to get a lot accomplished. And I have, so I'm feeling quite happy about things right now. And my work schedule goes back to 7-2 (tomorrow), so I'll have my afternoons to putter. Yay!!!
So much to do, so little time! I'm especially excited that you're going to start posting on your food blog again. Whee!
ReplyDeleteAndi - Well, don't hold your breath. I thought I'd get a recipe or two up over a month ago, but my photoblog is keeping me far too busy. We just returned from a 3-day road trip (Rod on the motorcycle and me in the Mini) and now I have all those pics to sort through. I haven't even finished with the ones I took on our trip to St. Louis last month. I think I need to call in sick for a year! ;)
ReplyDeleteThe most exercise I've gotten out of my own exercise ball is kicking it out of the way!
ReplyDeleteBut I do work out at a gym, when I can. Right now, with the sciatica flaring, I'll probably lose a full week ... :-(
Lisa - I've actually used the ball a couple of times now! Guess blogging about it made me feel even more guilty about ignoring it!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the sciatica. Been there, suffered through that!! Advil, Advil, Advil.