by Kimberly A. Cook
How is it December? The past five months I’ve been involved in packing and moving my mother to her new house, three major home repair projects and the holidays. According to my personal internal calendar, it should be September.
Still working on the glamour of cleaning out the family home and moving items from here to there. And there to here. And back again. More about all that move stuff next week.
So to say I’ve become even more attached to Lowe’s and The Home Depot is an understatement. Imagine my glee on a recent trip to the orange box store when this giant pink teddy bear appeared next to the light bulbs. In the lounge chair and ottoman. So cute.
On another trip, you can’t make just one trip a week to Home Depot, there were more big pink teddy bears. One sat on a bar-be-cue, kids don’t do that at home, and one in a lawn chair. No idea why the big pink bears have invaded The Home Depot, but I approve.
So with Christmas fast approaching, I’m trying to get organized. The wreaths went up outside on Monday; right after the contractors finished the eave vent holes for the roof and the new gutters were put up.
Plus tomorrow is the big day I can drive Subie back into the garage. She’s been on the street for ten days while my driveway was ripped out and poured due to tree root damage. Which means now I need to heft the other move boxes out of the garage to Goodwill so I can get her back inside.
Maybe if all the boxes I’ve lifted in the past three months were gift-wrapped I’d feel more festive. On the good side, my biceps are finally back in shape. And I got to fill up a dumpster last week too. Woo Hoo!
Just heard footsteps on the roof. Not reindeer. Must be the roofers getting ready to replace my skylight; which happens to be over Spec Ops Cat litter box in the office bathroom. Spec Ops Cat is not a fan of the roofers, or the gutter guys or the concrete jack hammer dudes. I can relate. Will need to pry him out of the pantry or from under the bed. Again.
In all this continuing chaos, I did manage to do some fiction writing. Flipping miracle! My kingdom for a yurt in the woods or “not a creature was stirring, not even a roofer.” Not sure that’s exactly how it goes. (They’ve been on and off our row homes for five months. Don’t even ask.)
Besides making my holiday to do list, maybe I need to go buy a big pink bear. To match my big pink rabbit. Tis the Season!
Got Christmas confessions?
I remember the days of home repair and Home Depot being my second home. Ace Hardware was my third. As soon as the house was in perfect shape I sold it, which was the reason for fixing it up all along. That doesn’t seem right somehow. Wishing you and the pink bears and Spec Ops Cat a Merry Christmas!
Boardwalk installed? Check. Canopy over the driveway? Check. Next up, two fences. Are you sure it’s December?! Have a Merry, pink, peaceful, Christmas. 🙂
How is it that life altering events–moving our moms out of our family homes—happened to both of us at Christmas???? I did this two years ago.