New Day – New Energy

Perhaps a half inch of rain washed away all the arthritis discomfort of yesterday.  I do know a good night’s rest is a huge part of the equation.  Today I had good energy.

Dennis and I have been playing it close to home since March.  Not that we were such gallivants, we have hunkered down playing it safe.  That being said, we have made work being fun in our home.  Tweaking this, cleaning that . . . the time does pass.

These last seven months have not been much different than how I grew up.  Farm families always had a lot of work.  There wasn’t such a thing as a family vacation in the summer months.  Cows needed milking twice a day come hell or high water.  All of our neighbors were in the same boat.  Bringing someone strange in to take over the milking for a time, would surely put the cows off on the milk.  There was no down time on the farm 24/7.

Now, just as then . . . home is where I do my best and am my best.  Balance in place, the time is well spent over the weeks and months.  

I have been yipping about doing some sewing, but I manage to get waylaid.  Having been busy outside since early spring, the housework was a just a lick and a promise as I looked as to what was needed outside.  Hmm.  Recently my bifocals zoomed in on the stair railings that needed TLC.  It was a job well done and well deserved. With just a bit of a tip of my head, I looked up the back steps of our entry and realized that the kitchen oak woodwork has been neglected.  How many years since the new flooring and woodwork was installed?

When Dennis came into the house he found pillows, towels, a wet Mr. Clean Eraser and me on the kitchen floor.  Pillows work great for the knees.  With a kitchen counter extending over the flooring, it was easier for me to get close and personal.  I don’t rush.  I get all my needs around me, much like a nest, and proceed to get at the task at hand.  I believe the poly finish needed a thorough cleaning and then a follow up with Murphy oil wipes.  Those wipes do an amazing job of putting on a protective finish to the wood. 

No . . . I am not a neat freak.  I do know that keeping busy brings me self satisfaction.  It also allows for me to take multiple breaks, read a couple of chapters in my library book, hit it again and I end up with a job well done.  No more all-day jaunts and then feeling like my joints are coming undone. Working smarter and not harder . . . it has taken me many years to come to that.

It is not the nicest outside.  Dennis and the patio cats can attest to that.  I did put a tin of cinnamon rolls in the oven to pair with pasta hotdish that I had taken out of the freezer for supper.  

The month is rolling on quicker than one realizes.  I do hope kids get to start school.  It’s one thing for us older folks to stay home.  Children need to be in a classroom bonding with classmates and putting in a good day of the “3 Rs.”