Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving

This is the day of the year we are supposed to pause and ponder what we are thankful for.  I've been trying to explain today's holiday to Claire, who is celebrating her first Thanksgiving with us.  I think she understands what being thankful means; after explaining it to her the best I could she stopped, thought and then said "I'm thankful for being in America."  So are we babe; so are we.

We are doing our big Thanksgiving meal on Friday but I've already been in the kitchen for a few hours this morning preparing.  It is about now that I wish I had an entire wall bank of ovens.  I have my recipes all printed out and organized, just as any Type-A Thanksgiving cooker would.  You all do that too, right?

I am so thrilled to open our home to our family and fill their bellies with good food, at least I hope it's good!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Disappointment with a side of anger

Do you anger easily?
Sigh, this is one of my many shortcomings and although it's taken quite a long time, I am now able to see that my anger is usually a front for disappointment.  I am able to see that even more clearly when my tween carbon copy, my mini-me storms out after something not going as well as she'd hoped it would.  Hmmmm, anger?  No, disappointment.

Just this morning I had high ambitions of power washing the front of the house, despite it being a crisp 45 degrees outside.  I figured the water wasn't frozen so I might as well be productive.  I got bundled up, everything covered except my nose and mouth and headed outside.

1. Drag out the muddy tools that need to be cleaned so I can do everything at once.
2. Drag out the ladder.
3. Drag out the hose.  Upon reaching the hose reel I see the spigot on the side of the house has been dripping for quite some time.  It's closed as much as possible but still leaking; sigh, another task to add to the list.  I get it all hooked up and drag the hose out to the driveway.
4. Hook up the 2 connections for the wand, both of them want to strip and I'm willing them to screw on correctly with a few choice words under my breath.
5. Hook up the hose to the power washer.  Again, it does not want to screw on and is just begging me that Nov. 3rd is the day it will strip the plastic threads.  Who puts connections with plastic threads on a piece of power equipment, anyway?
6.  All is hooked up, trek back and turn on the water.  Gusher spraying everywhere from the spigot.  I think the neighbor may have heard my frustrating grunt that time.  I try to tighten it, no luck so I say forget it and let it spew.
7.  Get the tips in the wand.  The wand says "forget you" and won't close all the way due to being cold.  Oh, and the tip I need for soap is gone.  Oh well, I'll try to figure something out.
8.  Power washer started- holy GUSHER.  Every connection is leaking, spraying and looking downright ridiculous.  Who hooked this up, a 5 year old?!
9.  FORGET IT ALL.  I was so pissed, just down right MAD.  

I turn it all off, unhook all the connections, throw the hose off the driveway so I don't have to look at it, push the power washer into the garage and come inside.  The dog was moving slower than I wanted so I yelled at him too, just for good measure.

Looks like anger but really it's disappointment.