I'm Still Here

Some of you may be thinking that I have left already for the West Coast because you have heard nary a word from me; but that is not the case. I'm still here. I am getting ready to leave. I am making a list as I think of things that will need to be done before I leave for three weeks.

To-Do List:

Pick up Avon order.  Done

Pick up packages from post office. 

Pick up Prescription refills.

Vacuum through the whole house. I have vacuumed the downstairs, but not the second story. 

Clean the bathrooms.

Clean the kitchen.

Shred and fry large head of cabbage. I filled two Dutch ovens with all the shredded cabbage and promptly burned the first one to a crisp. (I forgot to turn down the heat when I went outside to hang clothes and then took a phone call). The second pot survived.

Seed and julienne slice 5 1/2 peppers in the fridge for the freezer.

Freeze any leftovers (milk, cheese, veggies) from the fridge before I leave.

Print out Halloween verses for the insides of the kids' Halloween cards. I printed them out and attached to the insides of the cards. 

Write a brief message in each card and sign my name. Address and stamp envelopes. I have addressed and stamped all the envelopes, but I will write messages after I get back and before I send them out.

Attach sentiment to inside of Thanksgiving Day cards, sign and address/stamp envelopes. Finished 14 cards

Make a graduation card for my oldest grand daughter, a birthday card for my daughter,  and make another "Thinking of You" card for family friend with cancer. Send a card to my grand daughter in Germany. 

Mail out cards. I will mail out Friday before I leave town.

Clean stamps and return to drawers. Put away Autumn and Halloween themed papers. I have washed and put away my stamps and gathered up the papers.

 Buy and wrap Advent calendar gifts for my youngest grand daughter. All finished. 

Buy and wrap stocking stuffers for my son and daughter in law. In process

Buy and wrap stocking stuffers for my son's first wife  (the mother of my two older grand daughters). In process

Put away the Christmas papers, wrappings, ribbons, etc. until I get back.

Change out bedding and do up the laundry. Bed is changed. The clean laundry still needs to be folded and put away. At that point I can begin to pack my carry-on.

Pack suitcase and carry-on bag. Not started

Gather up Satchel's belongings (kibble, blanket, leash, collar, treats) in the car.

Cut the lawns again. This will be one of the last things to do. If it doesn't get done? too bad, so sad.

Repot the geraniums, snake plants, and red shamrocks before bringing them inside for the winter.

Print out boarding passes for the train and the plane trip back. Pack my boarding passes and passport in my purse.  Done.

Clean out my purse.

Pack Blackberry, phone and charger in my purse.

Get all the recycling out of the house and  bundle up all the corrugated cardboard.

Gather up all the waste baskets for garbage collection on Thursday morning

Put all garbage and kitchen compost out Friday before I leave.

Close and lock all the windows in the house. Turn off fans and power bars. 

Leave  a  "Please Do" list  for my son while he is checking on the house. Pick up mail, water my indoor plants, check phone messages on my land-line phone, cut the grass?, etc.


I am sure my list will grow as the week progresses, but I have also done a lot to check things off. I will not be finishing up the flower beds before I leave, but I have given it a good start. It has been actually too hot to work outside the last week. This past weekend was the hottest of the summer (we actually broke temperature records), but it was actually the first weekend of Autumn. After all the rain we got over this past summer, we are actually experiencing drought right now. Crazy weather!  So if I am lucky, there may still be some warmish days after mid October that I can spend some time outdoors. But if not, I will be busy getting stuff ready for Halloween, then Christmas. I hope to write again before the end of the week.