Monday, September 7, 2015

Laboring on Labor Day.

This was the day to do a few tasks around my home.  Inside of course.  Last I checked it was 89 degrees outside.  And very humid.

When it comes to the traditional Labor Day, I am no longer a member of the paid work force in America.  I've been retired now for almost seven years.  I have never once thought I should have stayed in the work force.  I've mentioned that when offered a job in the near past, I turned it down.  No regrets about that at all.

Not that I do not have something or someone to keep me busy every day during the normal work week.  I still have my grandson five days a week and taking care of him is no idle task.  He is already heading into the 'terrible twos'.   He thinks my saying 'no' is a game.  Boy, does he have a lot to learn.  Being the 'day-care Granny' is not like being the 'once a week visiting Granny', so discipline is definitely on the menu.

This past week was too hot to do more than cut the lawn and move one of my garden plants. Hopefully, with a cool down predicted, I can finish the yard work before the fall clean-up starts.

So, back to the inside where I put down new wood thresholds in the family room, utility room, and kitchen.  This required two trips to buy the unstained wood (cause stores never have the inventory that is indicated online), staining, sanding, staining again, cutting and fitting into place.  While I may have saved some money on labor, I wonder if it was worth the time I spent other than to say it is done and is off the list of what I need my handyman to do this month.

With that done I decided to spot clean the carpets.  That job is a royal pain but I must admit that the areas I cleaned look as good as new.  There was no need to clean all the carpeting, besides with this heat and high humidity it is something I prefer to have done in the winter.

I also washed a few windows which is the most thankless and least rewarding task in the home universe.  It is going to rain and they will look awful again but I got tired of seeing the dirt when the sun shone in.  And didn't I wash all of them just a couple of months ago?  Yes, I do windows.

I did take a break in the afternoon to watch 'The Theory of Everything'.  While I enjoyed the movie, I found it heart-wrenching and difficult to watch.  Eddie Redmayne did a marvelous job in the role of Stephen Hawking.

I have also discovered a TV series that I had never heard of called Midsomer Murders.  The show has been on since 1997.  I never heard of it and have never heard anyone mention it.  I've only seen two episodes, but I intend to watch all of them.  (I think I will need to get snowed in this winter.)

So, I hoped you enjoyed your long holiday weekend.  I'll be back next Tuesday with the changing seasons in the garden.

10 comments:

  1. Despite not being a part of the paid workforce, you manage to get a huge amount of work done. You certainly have saved yourself a lot of money. But it is hard work and cumbersome too, and kudos to you for tackling it singlehandedly and pulling it off too.

    You should write one post about the many times the little one hears a Yes even when his grandma says NO.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You sure keep busy Denise. I have watched Midsomer Murders and quite enjoyed them. Haven't seen them in quite a while though. Matt not terribly keen. Maybe I will start watching again and Matt can go play his game.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Meant to mention, have you ever watched the series on PBS called As Time Goes By. It's on at 7:30 p.m. if you don't watch anything else, you might enjoy that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have seen all episodes of As Time Goes By. Really enjoyed them.

      Delete
  4. I did not step foot outside the home this weekend because I really can't take the heat. Here, at work, the a/c is not working and I am melting, have a hard time breathing, nauseous and have a headache-I am bitchy! :) You are busy just doing what you are doing! My mom is German so I was used to cleaning the windows once a week. I am not doing that any more:) I think every couple of months is fine:) Germans are a bit OCD when it comes to cleaning. I have seen The Theory of Everything and was not enamoured with the movie. It was good but I felt Benedict Cumberbatch should have been the winner over Redmayne. He also reminded me of a young Austin Powers to me which is bad of me, I know, but i couldn't help it. I think I have heard of that TV show-is it from PBS? I have not watched it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is PBS. And I am glad to know that I am not the only one who spent the weekend indoors. I have a friend who is OCD about housework. She has a schedule that she follows.

      Delete
  5. Appears our heat finally broke, but the rain is bypassing us (again). You got a lot done - about 100% more than I did. As for the last time I cleaned my windows -I am not saying. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was some kind of world's record.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We didn't get any of the rain here either except for a brief downpour of a few minutes. I only wash windows when I get tired of the dirt. Then only on the windows that I look out of.

      Delete
  6. Good heaven, Denise, laboring on Labor Day, indeed. You are a force to be reckoned with, and should probably have yourself a few days of R & R to recover.
    There's something quite satisfying about being your own handyman tho, so I applaud all your efforts and hope the money saved goes toward something lovely and rewarding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, the money saved was used to pay a real handyman today to hang a new door, put in an outdoor plug and install some new lights. On second thought, I didn't quite save enough to pay him.

      Delete

I love to hear your comments and will try to reply on this blog and visit your blog when available.