Friday, October 14, 2011

Overlooking the mess

When was the last time you took a real good look around your house or yard?  Over the last 10 months I just turned a blind eye to the mess that Army daughter and son-in-law made, otherwise they would have driven me totally crazy rather than just a bit crazy.  This afternoon I started looking around with a very critical eye.  Since it's time to start getting things ready for the winter I figured I may as well clean things up too.

I noticed the dog pen that they built not long after they moved in.  It never held the dogs as the yip-yips kept figuring out ways to either crawl through the holes in the fencing, dig under the fencing, or when Army daughter just forgot to close the gate, just walk right out the door!  This pen was really an eye-sore but after a while, I didn't even notice it existed.  Today I saw it.  Today I took the ripped tarp down, took panels down, unwired the wire fencing that was attached to the panels, dug up the t-posts, and put it all away.  What a difference but I'm not finished.  In the morning I have to pick up the dog toys, the water bowl and food bowl, and blankets and other bedding.  It's just amazing that the stuff has been there for 10 months and wasn't even noticed.  The grass is growing tall there because it couldn't be mowed when the rest of the yard was.

What else has been just left, to be put away, fixed, or whatever, in my spare time?  I'm sure there is more around here.  In fact, the kids tire exercise course got moved and we have tires in the front and tires in the back.  How about if this weekend we put the thing back together?  How many broken toys are in the toy box on the patio?  How many more are laying around the yard?  What do you have that is just piled or forgotten?

How about the garage?  Now that I can get to things, it's time to go through the clothing bins and be realistic.  If I'm going to save some of every size it needs to be practical things.  If the SHTF how many frilly girl dresses do I need to save for the one-year old for when she is 5 or 6 or 10?  Not a lot.  If there are only three grand kids left under the age of five why do I need enough for five or six kids?  I don't.  Let's go through this and donate what we don't need. 

What else needs to be done?  A lot.  How much of this stuff can we do in nine or 10 hours.  A lot.  Boy started his weekend chores today.  He wants to go to the football game tomorrow night so he's volunteering to do chores.  That's a good trade off.  Girl just keeps practicing the trumpet.  I make her practice outside.  After all, outside is where the bands play at the football half-time events!

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