Lists

Elkmont, Alabama

Weather: low 45 degrees, high 72 degrees, clear skies

I wonder how many people use lists to keep up with what they have to do? We use them and I used them when I was working to ensure I didn't miss something that was important. Lately, we have slacked off on a lot of things, and the use of lists to keep us focused was one of them. So, yesterday we resolved to get our rear ends in gear and start doing the things that we feel are important. Like, start a list of things to do, work the list, and keep it updated.

The first order of business was to generate a list, naturally. After about 20 items, Carolyn said that's enough for now. However, both of us added more items during the day, and now we have about 30 items, even after working off a few.

Today, Carolyn worked on some cleaning that she felt was important. After she was satisfied with that chore, she asked me to move an unfinished night stand from one of the guest bedrooms to the garage so she could sand it down and put stain and a polyurethane sealer on it. She finished that by the end of the day, but will probably put another coat on it tomorrow. Oh, and she experimented with making a copy of the frozen Starbucks mocha latte' that they sell in their stores. It wasn't bad, but both of us agreed it needs more work. She'll tweak her recipe tomorrow.

I, on the other hand, did manly things all day. My pace was much slower than in the past, but after sleeping better last night, I had enough energy to do a few things. The first chore I did was flush the water heater, which had probably never been done in this house. I had a little trouble with the drain valve on the water heater getting clogged up, but that eventually worked itself out.

While I was working on the water heater, I decided to change the bottom heating element. It has been burned out since we have been in the house. Getting another element required a trip to town to the plumbing store, where I bought an element and a tool to change it with for a total of $13.95. Not bad as far as cost for something that a plumber might have charged $150 or more to do.

After lunch and resting, I decided to tackle spreading fertilizer and weed killer on the lawn. In the past, that job would have taken me about 45 minutes. Today, I worked on it for almost two hours and still have about 1/3 of the yard to finish. I'll do that tomorrow, if I'm up to it.

So everyone won't think I was slacking off while Carolyn was working, I helped her when she needed it. Doing these little jobs today made us think about how easy the RV is to take care of, compared to a house. There are things that have to be done in an RV to keep everything working, but it is so self-contained that it just seems easier.

Both of us are tired tonight, but there is a sense that we have control of what we need to do, and now we have a list to help us stay straight.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Annetta, Texas: The Friendly City

Not all who wander are lost.