We spent a little bit of Spring Break in Dallas City Park, which was beautiful, but crisp and cold. Obviously, Sam has remained oblivious to weather conditions or dressing how most people would consider appropriate for the weather. Miranda is not far behind with her flip-flops.
It is finally over. When you stay home for Spring Break the time tends to drag. To make matters worse, on Sunday morning, last morning of the vacation, Sam awoke at 6:05 a.m. I felt cheated.
I'd had big, ambitious plans for getting this house and property spic 'n span. I got over that pretty quickly. I have to give myself a C-. It would have been a D+, but I did accomplish a few major items.
I shampooed the carpets. I do this about every six to eight weeks anyway, but they were really in need. The carpets were one thing I had to do because I just couldn't tolerate looking at them, or smelling them, anymore. I cleaned them over a two day period and then Zeus unceremoniously puked a gargantuan amount of undigested dog food and dog drool right in the middle of the living room. Just two words: hard floors. I don't care what kind. Make it concrete with a drain hole right in the middle of the room--better make that each room. The dog doesn't discriminate--he'll puke anywhere, but usually where he can find carpet.
I cleaned both bathrooms. Again, this can't be considered spring cleaning, but just a necessary evil in the battle to eradicate bubonic plague.
Miranda dusted the living room before becoming overcome by allergies, complete with hives. This kid is going to have to start doing the dishes since I can't make her to do some of the other basic chores. I mean, she has to breathe, right? She did clean out and organize three tiny drawers in the kitchen before losing interest and not completing the assigned task. At her age, I probably would have done the same. This is a great example of when we were growing up and our mothers would say, "Just wait until you have kids!"
Other Spring Break accomplishments: as previously mentioned, I roto-tilled the vegetable garden and I'm still proud of myself for that. I then bathed both our filthy dogs who then went out and played in that freshly tilled garden. I bathed them again and they went out and played in the garden again. Then I gave up and Miranda wiped them down. This was, of course, after the carpets had been shampooed i.e. muddy dog prints throughout the entire house, but before the puke incident. I scooped poop ( yes, indeed, a real fascination with poop in this household) and then I mowed one section of yard. With one acre of mostly lawn, one section is still a respectable effort. Plus, it keeps raining and the grass keeps growing. Not to worry, though, by August it will be brown. Second to tilling the garden, getting our black plastic laid out and pinned down (all by myself), counts as a major accomplishment. That much black plastic is amazingly heavy and I'm just fat enough that bending over and putting the pins in and pavers around the borders is hard work. Pathetic, yes, but it is what it is. Whenever the work day ends with me covered head to toe in mud, it has been a productive day.
I'm sorry to say, that my list of accomplishments ends there. It rained quite a bit ( this is the section where I make my excuses) and even when it didn't rain and the sun was out, it was cold and windy. I realize that Pelicanites would have considered this beautiful weather and would have probably worked right through it and then held a community barbecue or something.
I'm looking at my list of chores and here is what is left: burn weeds ( I tried, but couldn't get the propane tank threaded onto the torch causing me much frustration and disgust-- so that got scrapped); lay out the drip irrigation system; plant the garden ( I bought broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, tomatoes, strawberries, and blueberry bushes and this is just the first crop, more to come); plant Mick's boxwoods (6) around border of the vegetable garden; pressure wash the house and deck; mow (which means scooping yet more poop); organize the porch; wash windows inside and out; finish cleaning and organizing the cupboards in the kitchen and drawers in the dining room; excavate my room and dig out from under the Samantha tornado; clean Sam's room (why is this place messy when she's in my room all the time? When does she find the time?); and sew Sam's underwear back together again! I think I can salvage a dozen pairs. At least two dozen pairs were shredded beyond hope during Spring Break.
So what did we do with the rest of our time? We went to the library and got library cards--and then found out that we have a choice of checking out one item at a time, or paying a $60 annual fee because our house is just outside the city limits ( I am NOT happy). We went swimming at the Dallas Aquatic Center which Sam loves, imagine that, not finding the lap pool cold at all since she learned to swim in the Gulf of Alaska ( I stayed in the therapy pool, temp 98 degrees, and the spa, 105 degrees--I am a weenie). We went on a couple of walks with the dogs which is fun for them and not for us, but now we can feel righteous. And we sat around and were lazy! Yes, Sam blasted music, watched YouTube day and night, and Miranda and I read books and watched episodes of House over and over. Like my mom said, "Just wait until you have kids!" All in all, not a bad Spring Break.
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