Two Days Off…or Not

My family says I do not know how to relax.  I think they are crazy. Just because I like to fold laundry or surf the internet on my laptop or design an outdoor patio while I am sitting on the sofa watching TV, does not mean I can’t relax.  Okay, in their defense, I sometimes see their point. However, in my defense, I needed to bring  the bricks and patio furniture inside to get the full effect of what the new patio would look like. I am a visual person; a blueprint or sketch does nothing for me.  Anyway, I decided this past week to take three days… or two days…well, a day and a half completely off from work, and so I wanted to share what transpired to prove I can relax. Here is my official diary:

Day 1: 7:15  to 9:30 AM. I went on the computer early as I knew Bill Y Ledden, my wonderful writer from Ireland, had already posted on HumorOutcasts.com which means when it finally became AM my time, his post had already been up hours without me promoting and that is not fair to Bill Y– is it? NO. So, I dedicated an hour or two to work since I was going to be on the computer anyway, but then I put the laptop away.

Day 1: 10 AM to 11 AM   Costco. I love Costco. This was sort of a vacation plus I needed grilling stuff for the holiday weekend. After Costco, I went shopping at the designer outlets next to Costco and became saddened that gravity is definitely taking its toll on my body, and I was not happy.  This realization did nothing to boost my vacation spirit.

Day 1: 11:30 AM  Dunkin’ Donuts.  Depressed over the whole gravity issue, so I drowned myself in one of their Oreo iced coffee thingies which gave me a temporary mood lift plus it was 150 degrees outside, and I felt that I deserved a treat.

Day 1: 1 to 3 PM  Lunch with my daughter and errands. She also took off from work. She has already lounged at the pool at her apartment complex, has made plans for 4^th of July celebrations and had her nails done. She has yelled at me because I did not relax yet on my day off and instead went to Costco and got a Dunkin’ Donuts treat.  Miss Health Freak does not understand my need for sweets, but since we are mother and daughter, I predict my need for sweets will one day become her need for sweets. I vow to live to see this day.

Day 1: 4 PM  to 6:30 PM  Watered gardens and picked some really nice grape tomatoes that had ripened. “What is up with the damn weeds? They keep growing.”  Did some weeding.  Also did poop patrol as my dogs are prolific poopers.  Noticed that even in severe heat, the back lawn needed a mow. Decided the heat was too much for mowing. Got a glass of lemonade instead and patted myself on the back for relaxing on the back porch while I stared at the uneven grass.

Day 1: 7:30 PM  Hubby was golfing and going out for drinks with the guys.  The sun was not as hot and the back lawn still needed to be cut. Went inside to cool off, but could only think about the back lawn. “How long would it take to mow?  Forty-five minutes?”  Finally, made a deal with myself. If there was enough gas in the mower for the back lawn, I decided I would mow.  Gas tank was full. Had to mow.  Both husband and daughter tried to reach me on cell phone which I could not hear over the mower so the missed calls meant I was in trouble for not relaxing.

Day 1 : 10 PM  Hubby came in from golf and asked “What did you do today? I couldn’t reach you. I thought you were taking off.”  I answer, “I did take off. I was only on the computer for a little bit. I had my cell phone off I guess.”

Day 2:  7 AM  Checked the computer to see what I missed on HumorOutcasts the day before.  Shoot me. It had to be done.  Heard husband come in backdoor from letting the dogs out. Uh oh.  He was in the backyard. Hoped he wouldn’t notice the lawn.  Nope, he noticed.  “You mowed? When?”  I acted as if I told him I mowed already. “Last night. I told you this when you came in from golf.  You never listen to me.”   Husband was silent as he knows he never does listen to me but he was unsure if I was lying. I got away with lie.

Day 2: 9 AM: I decided after two hours of working that taking days off is not in the cards just yet.  I vowed only to peek into work things over the rest of the holiday weekend, and this seemed to  makes my family happy.  My husband felt badly I mowed the lawn and offered to take me out to lunch and a day of shopping in the Amish country. I jumped at the idea and grabbed my cell phone so I could check my email while we were gone.

Day 3: 4^th of July fun. Forced relaxation as other people and businesses truly took the day off.  I was lost and confused but thankful that Home Depot was still open and I still had  my internet. But not for long! Heat wave caused power outages sporadically during the day.  No internet; no TV; Dunkin Donuts’ again! Thank God for sweet treats or I would be crazy. Not sure if I will ever be able to do this sit down and relaxing thing. I wondered if any neighbors are in need of a new patio.