7:11 am: Having armed myself with two large cups of coffee, an episode of Dream House and an episode of Sweat Equity, I’m ready to tackle the world. The plan today: paint the hallway; eliminate all mildew on the driveway; find leather slipcovers for the divan.
7:14 am: In anticipation of an exciting and productive day of home maintenance projects, I race to the kitchen, grab some Greek yogurt and mix in olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, a touch of cumin, a bit more dill and the least amount of salt possible.
7:25 am: I suddenly remember one of my projects is investigating whether I can purchase small room dehumidifiers to make up for the pitiful absence of fans in my bathrooms. It is crucial — crucial! — I battle mold and mildew!
9:46 am: Having survived one bout of nausea, one episode of Don’t Sweat It (which demonstrated how to restore the majesty of a Craftsman home) and 214 customer reviews of a dehumidifier, I am prepared to rush outside into the cold and grab the bottle of Clorox from the trunk. I put on my hoody, socks and tennis shoes, and jump back into bed under the covers.
9:30 pm: Panic! I want grits for lunch, but I’m out of milk to cook them!
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Good luck in your battle against mold and mildew…I tend to buy Clorox in mass quantities. I used to use X-14 in the bathroom, but oh, the fumes! Now I just keep Clorox in each bathroom, and swoosh some around on the tiles when I think about it.
I have a half used bottle of Clorox in the kitchen and a new one in the trunk of my car.
The new one will be used on the driveway and the algaed gutters up front sometime this afternoon or tomorrow. Clorox is a life saver!
9:51 am: I investigate tankless water heaters.
Cook your grits in water. I’ve never cooked mine in milk.
I love cooking them in milk, though! Such a luxury! And so, so yummy!!! ::pouts::
10:14 am: I determine that I have a stomach virus. While applying for 2 DTV coupons, I spend several minutes silently cursing the student who gave it to me.
10:16 am: I run outside, get the Clorox out of the trunk, run back inside and decide to never leave the house again because it’s too cold.
10:17 am: I contemplate the possibility of a menudo delivery service.
10:59 am: Papa Was a Rolling Stone comes on over the iTunes. Ernest and Calliope begin bobbing up and down, and squawking.
11:01 am: I decide to conduct a scientific experiment on the birds. I turn Papa Was a Rolling Stone up and down to scientifically measure their reactions. I determine they are indeed reacting to the song. I contemplate the significance of this finding.
11:24 am: I make a painful decision: I *will* paint the wood trim in the hallway white. I simply can’t stand the cave look any long.
11:25 am: I go into kitchen to remove rags from their bleach bath in the sink. I immediately wipe hands on the brand new bright blue tee-shirt I put on only minutes ago. I am reminded why I never wear new clothes anywhere in the vicinity of my home.
11:27 am: I put on Papa Is a Rolling Stone again, just to bother Ernest and Calliope.
11:37 am: I contemplate what reaction Ernest and Calliope might have to War MMMPH what is it good for ::absolutely nothing::
11:38 am: I race to the iTunes store to buy it.
12:00 pm: The birds are ambivalent about War HMMMPH GOOD gawd what is it good for ::absolutely nothing::
12:01 pm: Once they recovered from the bagpipes, Ernest and Calliope showed an impressive reaction to Copperhead Road.
Of heroes and saints:
What an amazing read, Maracatu!
There is so much going on right now that it’s great to read about such a brave and courageous man!
Hope you’re doing well and aren’t completely buried in school. Me, I AM completely buried. ::argh:: Fortunately, it ends very, very soon for us. I. can. not. wait!
Yes I am burried in the office revising an article for publication that HAS to go out on Monday. Then it is off to correct homework, draw up exams, write reports. Ugh! The only thanksgiving turkey I’m gonna see is one of those TV dinner specials! And if I thought Christmas was going to afford me some rest, I have to compile a reading list for a Ph.D. seminar I’m giving for the first time next semester (and yes that means drawing up the lecture notes and all!). I guess during a recession/depression I should count my lucky stars for having a job!
So I will grin and bear it!
Yikes, a seminar?? And I complain about undergraduates.
I’m thanking my lucky stars I’m not teaching next semester and am strictly in the office working one on one with students. Much, much easier!
Even now, I have grading sitting in my car that I’m carefully avoiding because I am absolutely burnt to a crisp. But I share your feelings about having a job.
Give us a hint on your publication when it comes out!!
12:21 pm: The birds hate Mercy. I play Copperhead Road for them, just to check, and contemplate downloading bagpipe music for further experiments on them.
12:29 pm: I race to unpack the box that my CD of singing birds is on.
12:41 pm: Ernest and Calliope become so alarmed by the bird songs that I rush to pack them away again, safely out of sight.
12:42 pm: I decide to perform similar experiments on the houndie grrl. I find a clip of the song Born on the Bayou which my old hound simply loved hearing on the radio in the car when it came on. I play it for the houndie grrl. She is unimpressed. I suspect she might not be a music lover – or perhaps she’s a typical Millenial Girl and prefers more modern music than my old hound.
12:43 pm: I rush to unpack the box again to fetch more modern sounds for the houndie grrl.
1:01 pm: After chastising myself for wasting hours performing experiments on the birds, I resign myself to painting the hallway, including the trim. I begin by heating up lunch (thinly sliced buffalo), then rushing out back with the Tabasco to reinvigorate the anti-houndie grrl defense shield on the outside faucet cover.
My home improvement project so far today:
Take down old full/queen size bed. Move mattress and box springs to #1 son’s room.
Vacuum 14 years of dust bunnies from carpet under bed.
Stand back while #1 Son puts together new king size bed, including figuring out how to reuse existing queen headboard.
Have discussion with spouse, who disapproves mightily of the fact that the new bed platform does not match the wood of the old headboard. Decide to find a bed skirt, which will cover new platform and disguise the fact that they are two different finishes.
Head to Pottery Barn. PB has king size bed skirts on sale for $169.99. Look at spouse and silently agree to try J C Penney.
Penney’s has bed skirts for $39.99, plus a really pretty (probably made in China) king size quilt in colors that will go well in the room, on sale for $89.99. We decide to buy the quilt as well, and find out that there is an additional 20% off purchases over $100 today only.
We go to lunch at The Dragon to celebrate our frugality.
We come home and put the bed skirt on the new bed. It fits perfectly and looks great.
#1 Son and I unpack The Mattress, which came vacuum-packed in a fairly small box that weighed 147 pounds. We wrestle it into position, disarranging the bed skirt in the process. The dogs come to investigate the strangeness. They are not at all sure they like this thing.
We herd the dogs out of the bedroom and close the door behind us to allow the mattress to expand (just like a frog).
Oh god. I am so totally unworthy!
1:24 pm: After reading Kate’s impressive list of activities, I resolve to actually do something today.
1:25 pm: I race to kitchen to find the primer and a paint brush.
Vacuum 14 years of dust bunnies from carpet under bed.
Ha, ha! Mine beat yours! My dust bunnies are at least 20 years old!
1:54 pm: I need home delivery of menudo!
2:33 pm: While updating the blogroll, I remember I have a bucket of coffee grounds sitting on the stove. I grab it and rush outside to dump it on the back garden bed.
2:35 pm: Shit! Bokashi! Now’s the time for it! I immediately conduct an online search for it.
Biscuit,
Here’s a little idea what we have in our local newspaper during the week:
So if you enjoy tips to save money, here are five ways to get more bang for your coffee buck:
1. Make a body scrub. Mix a couple tablespoons of coffee grounds into your regular shower gel and you’ll have the perfect exfoliator for silky, smooth skin.
2. Give plants a treat. Acid-lovers such as azaleas, roses, carrots and radishes will flourish with a bit of joe. Sprinkle coffee grounds directly around the base of the plants.
3. Clear the air. Put dry coffee grounds into a small paper bag, bundle of cheesecloth or tied piece of fabric. Place them in the refrigerator or a closet to trap musty odors.
4. Wash your hands. The next time you wash your hands, add a small amount of coffee grounds and a sprinkle of salt to the soap. The mixture will remove grease, absorb odors (even onions) and leave your hands super soft.
5. Drink more coffee. Dry out the old coffee grounds on a cookie sheet in the oven. Add half old and half new coffee the next time you brew. The rich flavor will amaze you.
These all seem a little far out for me but the second one.
I’ve put on my gloves and coat and cleaned out the freezer today. Making a corned beef with cabbage, carrot, onion and potato for dinner and “biscuit sticks”. :dots:
My coffee *always* goes in my gardens – or compost, which will happen again as soon as I get my composter over here. :blush:
Really, the worms love it, and it yields fab soil! I’ve been doing it for years and will never look back.
People who throw their grounds out have no idea what they’re missing.
Hey biscuit:
:cowbell
Click on the image.
4:12 pm: I move the primer, paint brushes and painting cloth into the hallway.
4:14 pm: Heady with success, I rush through the house grabbing dirty laundry and throwing it into the wash.
You sure seem to do a lot of “rushing”, dearest biscuit. I’m impressed with the amount of home maintenance all of you have done.
The only area in which I have Kate, biscuit AND Maracatu beat is that I no longer have dust bunnies.
I have dog hair dinosaurs. Not only under the bed, but they appear along the baseboards, over vents, and around the edges of the dog crates (that double as fashionable accent tables in my den). My dog hair dinosaurs would EAT your wimpy little dust bunnies for lunch!
The only thing that I accomplished today is taking a shower and picking up drugs at the pharmacy. And I made a pot of coffee – and put the coffee grounds in the hot compost bin.
Menudo delivery service, biscuit? Now that might be a true niche business, with small overhead, as it would only have to be open on weekends…
:dots: :puff: :dots: :puff: :dots:
5:07 pm: The Mattress has expanded somewhat, but still has this large lump down the center that reminds me, for some reason, of the medieval custom of placing a sword in the middle of a bed shared by two unmarried persons (of opposite gender, one presumes). The Lump is definitely mountainous enough to preclude cuddling, whether marital or not.
However, The Lump is temporary. The mattress instructions say that it may take up to 72 hours to completely decompress and straighten itself out. Besides, the dogs will probably lie on it and help squash it down.
The pretty quilt looks great! Now I just have to learn that the corners of the new bed extend quite a few inches further into the room. My shins have painful bruises on them already.
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