Good
Morning! Yesterday was partially productive.
I
wrote over four thousand words, so that was good. The reason I was able to
write so much was because we got a really late start on cleaning the family
room. The plan was I would write until my daughter, Dani, came home from school
around noon. She would take a break and eat lunch. Then both daughters and I
would tackle the family room.
Since
my uncle is now coming to Thanksgiving again, and he has horrible allergies, we
have to do a thorough cleaning. I’m talking everything has to be taken off
every shelf and cleaned, the walls need to be wiped down, every piece of
furniture needs to be moved and vacuumed (even the bottom of the couch). Every
candle needs to be capped so no scent escapes. No air fresheners can be used. We
practically need to sterilize the house, so it is A LOT of work, but it’s a
heck of a lot better than having to call an ambulance again because he’s having
a severe asthma attack.
So,
back to why we didn’t finish the family room. My mother came and picked up my
oldest daughter, Lys, yesterday morning at ten. When she was here, I told her
she couldn’t keep my daughter out all day because I really needed her help. My
mom told me she would have Lys back by two. Perfect, an hour later than I had
planned, but still doable, because I figured it was a two hour project if all
three of us worked together. We’d be done by four, and I’d get a break before I
had to start cooking dinner.
This
also worked well for Dani, because she was so tired when she came home from
school, she got to take a nap until two. Since the house was quiet with Dani
asleep and Lys out with my mom, I got to write for longer than I had planned. I
came to a stopping point, the end of a chapter, and I look at the clock. 2:45,
and still no Lys, so I send a text. No reply. 3:15 I call. No answer. 3:30, I
call again. Again, no answer. At this point, she’s an hour and a half late and
I can’t get a hold of her, so I’m thinking they got into an accident, because
that’s how my brain works.
Five
minutes later, Lys calls and says they are at Kohl’s. Needless to say, I am not
able to keep the displeasure from my voice. She apologizes and tells me they
will be home soon. Dani is still asleep on the couch, so I wake her up, and the
two of us begin on the room. She helps me drag an old chair to the dumpster,
which I had been planning on pitching for months, but never got around to doing
and be darned if I was going to spend half an hour cleaning it if I was just throwing
it away. Then we disposed of a ripped up desk chair as well.
The
next thing on my agenda was to break down Colby’s cage and get it moved into
Dani’s room for the holidays. There was nowhere in the family room to keep it
where it wouldn’t be in the way. I begin folding up the crate, and Dani tells
me she didn’t realize I had planned on moving it right then and she needed to
go and make room in her room for it. Off she goes, leaving me alone in the
family room. I look at the clock. 4:15. Still no Lys.
My
phone rings, it’s my girlfriend Karolyn. I feel bad, because she had to listen
to my five minute, without taking a breath, rant over not being able to get the
room cleaned and how inconsiderate my mother was for keeping my daughter out
when she knew I needed help. Karolyn listened, commiserated, sympathized, and
like any true friend does, she got angry on my behalf, and then told me an even
worse story about what happened to her, to make me feel better.
At
4:45, I hear the beep of my mother’s car alarm in the driveway, nearly THREE
hours after when I should have been hearing the beep. I end my conversation
with Karolyn, so I can glare at them when they come in the door. Now, I wasn’t
going to say anything, because I really do hate confrontations, but they were
sure going to know I was not happy. Then my mother makes the unfortunate
mistake of telling me not to be mad at Lys, “they were having fun”. That’s when
I lost it.
I
told her I wasn’t mad at my daughter. My daughter wasn’t the one driving. My
daughter wasn’t the one who had it explained to her how I needed help. My
daughter wasn’t the one who promised to be home by two. Then, instead of just
apologizing and being done with it, my mother has the nerve to point out that I
was the only one cleaning, implying that if Dani wasn’t helping then why should
Lys be required to help. That’s when I blew my second gasket, and set the
record straight.
What
fries my cookies is, my mom doesn’t think she did anything wrong. She freaks
out when she’s entertaining for nine on New Year’s Day, and my husband and I do
a large portion of the cooking for that day, plus my mother has a cleaning lady
who cleans her house before the party. Wouldn’t it be logical to think I stress
out a bit before an event, and any deviation from a set plan causes me a whole
lot more stress, especially when I have to do all the cooking myself and I don’t
have a person to clean my house for me?
Anyway,
what’s done is done. I can’t change it, so as of right now, I am over it.
Today, I will write until noon. Take a lunch break when Dani gets home from
school. Then the three of us will tackle both the family room and the living
room. We should be able to get both rooms immaculate by 4:30 – 5, and I can
take a half hour break before I have to start dinner. Barring any unforeseen setbacks,
I can get back on schedule and be able to breathe again.
On
that note, let me get to Faerie Tale Queen. I hope you have a terrific day, and
happy writing!
Once every four or five years, I decide
to brave the crowds and go shopping on Black Friday. Then, when I return home,
I vow NEVER TO DO IT AGAIN. It is complete insanity, the lines, the traffic,
the parking. It’s an unmitigated nightmare, but the one thing about Black
Friday that disappoints me most is the attitude of the people.
Just the day before, they were gathered
around a table with their loved ones giving thanks for all the many blessings they
have in their lives, and on Friday their bodies are overtaken by trolls. They
are mean. They are nasty. They are self-possessed. Tell me, is that 20% off
video game worth you banging your cart into another person and then cursing
them out for being in the way?
After the third time I utter “Merry
Flippin’ Christmas to you to!” is when I usually give up and call it quits for
the day. Black Friday is the anti-Christ as far as I’m concerned. It brings
nothing but bad will and disdain. Sure it would be nice to finish up my
Christmas shopping, but I think I will wait and do it next week, during the
week, when there’s a chance of getting a stranger to smile back instead of
sneer.
Your
Next Challenge is:
You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong,
just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to
criticize what someone else has written. Go.
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