What to choose . . . .

Today is an absolutely GORGEOUS day outside. Not a cloud in the sky, and 45 degrees in the shade as I write. Yesterday was cool and windy - lots of snow flurries in the morning and so windy all day that I told Tom to call me when he left town for his drive home so that I'd know to expect him at a certain time. I was SURE there'd be trees down on the road too large for him to move w/o a chainsaw. But, he pulled in at the appointed hour - no troubles.

So, this is the debate today: do I get just a little done across the board (jumping from project to project) or do I get a lot done on just one or two things? Oh, the decisions. All high on the list today are deskwork, yard work, dishes, cleaning out the refrig (stin-ky!), website work, and house cleaning. And, I HAVE to finish "watering the batteries". I got 8 of the 24 done one day last week but then ran out of distilled water. Tom has since brought 6 more gallons from town and getting that annoying little task done has really been weighing on me. So, that, at the very least, will be one of the chores accomplished today.


I took this dorky self-portrait of myself while in the battery room last Tuesday. I could see through the fog on my safety glasses, but I didn't realize I looked so . . . freaky . . . when a person saw me "from the outside in"! ;) (The headlamp is my mainstay for chores around here, and I'm wearing it here so that I can clearly see into each of the 3 compartments that need to be filled in each battery. And, at 3 compartments in each of the 24 batteries . . . well, let's just say that it's a painstaking process. This time, I thought to take my most recent book-on-tape with me, though, and it made a HUGE difference!)

I mentioned that Tom was coming home from town yesterday. We both had Girls' / Boys' Nights Out, respectively, Friday night. A friend of ours who lives just outside of town was bach(elor)-ing it, and he'd invited some guys over for a night of food & fellowship. It turned out to be quite a group - about 10 in all. All men except for one woman who works hand-in-hand with one of the guys doing logging the old-fashioned way, with horses. Tom said she fit right in, arriving in her Carharrts and muck boots, plucking on her guitar, and drinking straight Kentucky bourbon with beer chasers! ;) The host had told everyone to bring meat for the grill (manly men eat meat and all that), and it sounds like there was QUITE the feast! Steaks, salmon, venison, you name it. I'd helped Tom make a marinade for some of the venison strips we'd harvested last week (see image below), and he said the meat was delicioius! "Melt-in-your-mouth" tender.


I, meanwhile, stayed after my massage with a dear friend (and massage therapist) for a long-overdue catch-up. While I mixed up Cosmos, she made a YUMMY pizza on a cornmeal crust with fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic and cheese. Sooooo good! My massage had been scheduled for 4:15, and I didn't pull into the yard here at Swamp River Ridge until 2:00 AM!!! Holy cannoli, Batman! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Anyway, it was a fun night for both of us.

(My coffee cup seems to have a hole in it this morning! Wonder if there will be any left by the time Tom gets up?)

Random thought: it's been such a late, cool spring that we haven't enjoyed a single morning with our coffee cups out on the deck yet! Matter of fact, two weeks ago today was the first time it REALLY felt like spring. You know, the way that warm air and warm sun (after a winter of cold) feels on your skin? And then, yesterday I was hanging clothes on the line wearing my down jacket!

Second random thought: we are currently in a small battle with the county. Property taxes (if you choose to pay in installments) are due on the 15th of each May and October. So, this past week found me contemplating our 1st installment bill. Yeah, ummm, I don't think so. According to the county, we made enough improvements to Swamp River Ridge in the last tax year to cause our taxes to jump up (are you ready?) 814.3%. Yes, 814.3%. Precisely. Annnnd, the funny thing is . . . there have been NO (major) changes made to the house since August of '07! You do the math. They say we owe hundreds and hundreds of dollars now (when it's only been a fraction of that in the past). As I said, ummm, yeah, not so much. Oh! And, with the economy the way it is, property values have been DECREASING, so . . . ??! (Anyway, wish us luck!)

So, that's the news of the day. Anybody out there want to help me decide which of the above "must-dos" I WILL do today?