MAKING MY LIST …
… and checking it twice
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
1. Get up at 7:30am.
Well, that didn’t happen. I finally dragged my tired old butt out of bed at 8:00. Oh well, I’ll just have to hustle a bit faster before I have to “leave for work.”
2. Make coffee and have breakfast.
Can’t start the day without my coffee. Oh, that’s right. I need to grind the beans. Oh well, that’ll take about five minutes. Not a problem.
(You’re probably wondering why I don’t grind more ahead of time and store the ground coffee in a canister. I add a few drops of water to my beans to cut down on the static electricity. I also bought a smaller grinder to save space on my countertop.) As I said, it’s a five-minute job. Piece of cake! Oh, wow, I would really like a piece of cake right now. However, I don’t have any in the house, so I guess I’ll just have to settle for my Special K cereal.
3. Fold the laundry.
I’m one of those people who will do the wash one day. But fold it and put it away the following day? Nope! Not going to happen. Yep, I have three loads that need tending. I will get to them – eventually.
I guess you can’t help but ask why I don’t just wash, dry, fold, and put away the laundry on the same day. That’s easy to answer. I’ve already made my list of things to do for the day and putting away the clean clothes didn’t make it to my agenda. However, that item will go on my “to do” list for tomorrow.
4. Which reminds me! I need to make a list for tomorrow. I’ll do that on today’s
lunch break. Whenever that will be. I have to wait until my patient falls asleep. She usually dozes for about an hour in the early afternoon. That’s when I shove my sandwich down my throat, swig a quick small bottle of cola, and take care of my personal business – whichever that might be at the time.
LEAVE WORK AT FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON (HOPEFULLY)
Ah! Home at last!
5. Prepare what I need for dinner. Once I get all the ingredients ready, I know I
won’t have any “Oh darn, I have to make an emergency supermarket run”
surprises. I really hate when I plan a meal and realize at the last minute, that I’d forgotten to buy something. It’s always an “OOPS” kind of moment.
6. Turn on my computer and begin another story. (Hey, it’s on my list of things to
do, right?) If I get the basics down, get my thoughts organized, I won’t
waste time wondering what my subject will be.
7. Make a cup of tea. My British grandmother had gotten mom and me in the habit
of always having a cup of tea in the afternoon. It’s a habit I continue to this day. My grandmother, when I was young, insisted our “tea” to be consumed around four in the afternoon. Grandmother and mom have been gone for years. However, the habit didn’t die with them. Nowadays, I rarely make that time slot, but I’ll still have my tea.
8. Set the table for dinner. Might as well since I’m in the kitchen waiting for my tea
to brew. No sense in watching the Keurig spurt out the water. The water
will come out whether or not I stand and stare at it. Grandmother always
said that idle hands are the devil’s workshop. I don’t plan on giving him
an empty room to play in. That said, I pull the plates from the cupboard
and place them on the table. Next, I’ll grab the knives and forks from the
drawer and set them atop the napkins. I wait until the last minute to take
our beverages from the fridge.
9. Chop, slice, cook dinner and finally sauté the veggies! The rice is next. Thank
heaven for the 5-minute instant rice. Although, by the time the water
boils and the rice absorbs it, it always takes much longer than 5-minutes.
How, then, can they call it “instant”? Hmm! Something to think about.
Oh well, at least dinner will be delicious. Oh yeah! Oh
yum! Shrimp creole tonight!!
10. Load dishwasher and tidy kitchen. Seems like an automatic thing to do after
you would finish dinner – but you’d be surprised how often I get
distracted. My phone might ring. Mabe my husband needs help with
something. Now and then, he’ll turn the TV on to something interesting
and I’ll sit down with for – well, purposely for half an hour, but we all
know that half an hour can go on forever.
11. Ah! Every item on my list has now been checked off. Yea! I’ll sit on the couch
with my husband. While he watches Netflix, I’ll sit back, put my feet up, pick up my book and read another chapter.
OH DARN!! I JUST REMEMBERED. I NEED TO MAKE MY LIST FOR TOMORROW!
About the Creator
Margaret Brennan
I am a 77-year old grandmother who loves to write, fish, and grab my camera to capture the beautiful scenery I see around me.
My husband and I found our paradise in Punta Gorda Florida where the weather always keeps us guessing.
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Comments (4)
Omgggg, I loveeeeee making lists and I had fun reading this!
I love this... I'm a chronic list maker, helps manage my lack of memory! #3 Fold the laundry... likewise, I keep up with the washing, but end up with neatly folded linen and clothes in baskets for way too long. Best house keeping tip anyone ever passed on was: Use a basket for each person in the household & place thier items straight into it, straight from the line... then it's up to them if they (like me) have it sitting around.
Keep up the great work!"Happy New Year, Margaret.❤👍
Happy New Year, Margaret. I do better with lists, too. But I usually only accomplish half of what I have on them. Oh, Well!