Tues... Dec 8.... Dirty Laundry...

Trapper left Laredo, TX with a load headed to South Carolina on Saturday morning. I was excited because it's a 20 hour drive and he didn't deliver until Monday at 11:00 a.m. This meant a little stop over at the house, for at least a few hours.

Now, I've been home since the middle of November. I've become quite comfortable in the house, by myself. I spend most of my days here, by myself. I've started doing some odd "freelance" jobs... a couple of articles here and there and a couple of personal assistant type jobs for people in various parts of the country.

The dining room has turned into my office and my classroom! The bar in the kitchen has turned into my "I really need to file all this stuff somewhere" place. I had paperwork all over these two adjoining rooms. The rest of the house has stayed in order, even through the recent painting of the ceiling and walls in the dining room.

We had gotten about 3 inches of rain a few days earlier and the next day the wind was blowing about 30 mph, so the pool had come over the top, was full of leaves again, the basement flooded, ladders laying on the patio, and I left the lights on in the pick-up truck (and it was dead as a wedge.) I had told him all these things and he told me what I should probably do about them.

Well, I didn't mention the truck... It was really cold outside so I didn't bother doing anything to the pool and it was too far to walk to the barn to put the ladders away. I threw towels downstairs to soak up the water... I figured I had done my part.

I was being irresponsible and procrastinating and the worst part was I knew it! I know better! I am usually really together!

As fate would have it and as soon as I found out he was going to be here on Monday, stuff starting flying!! It's funny how "together" you can get something when you push it!

Sunday I managed to get my office and classroom straightened up and all the stuff on the bar found its way downstairs to the real office. As I was walking over the towels, that were now soaking wet and lying on the floor, I decided to throw those in the washing machine! I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed the house, did my laundry, and put all that way. I was feeling good about myself!

It was raining out, so I still couldn't do the pool. I decided that I'd get up really early on Monday and do the pool, cold or not! I knew Trapper would try to surprise me and get here earlier than I was expecting, so I tried to do the mileage/driving hour math and see how much time I had.

Monday I was outside at 9:00 am! Pool vacuum in hand.... I vacuumed up 3 baskets of leaves. I had to drain the water out (to start the winterizing process) so I got that started. As the water was pumping out, I ran inside and jumped in the shower. I had to get myself together too, right?

An hour later I walk outside, to put the ladders away, and it looked like we had a river running through it.... the backyard that is... I forgot that the ground was completely saturated and all that pool water was standing! It was standing in the side yard (where the drain pipe from the pool disperses the water.) Crap! There was nothing I could do about that, so I just turned the pool off.

I was expecting a phone call around 4:00 p.m. from him saying he was here and the call came at 1:30 p.m. told you, I knew he'd sneak in early.

I drove over to the truck stop and rescued my truck driver!

The first thing you always do when you get home, after being gone for a month or two, is look around. Trapper helped me get the stuff out of the car and he was walking around outside. He came in and I showed him the two rooms that were painted (since he was last here) and various other things.

He said, "Wow... the place looks great!"

"Whew," I thought... "if he only knew..."