A day off?

I’m in the midst of four days of holiday….

But boy howdy, do I seem to be busy:

• sorting through things that belonged to my mother and father
• going on a leisurely stroll through Costco and still only spending less than $140
• then driving on local roads to Aldi, and the bank, and Dierberg’s, and taking my time in each location
• doing a photo shoot
• enjoying a half-day at the spa
• taking Auggie for his own doggie-spa morning
• cooking and cleaning and doing laundry
• napping
• arranging voice lessons for next week
• and reading.

Sunday will be a church service, a voice lesson, and a choral concert.  Then steak on the grill, with homemade macaroni & cheese, green salad, and strawberries for dessert.

The weekend

Let’s see…..

Dressing room shenanigans on Friday evening. Thanks, Brendan.

Last performance tonight of Bonnie & Clyde.  I shall miss this show and this band and this cast.

Skype this mornign with friends in Asia.

A quick Costco run today.

Three hours of voice lessons this afternoon.

Dinner with D before the show tonight.

Laundry.

Church.

The Variety Club performance of Little Mermaid on Sunday afternoon.

Finish my binder for my promotion bid. (MUCH to do on that!)

Love some Samson time.

Cook at home for the first time in a week.

That’s my weekend….

Costco

My first trip to Costco in seven weeks……

What joy!  What rapture!  What boundless bliss….!

Saturday = Away Day

Self-portrait on the Away Day.

Saturday, 7 a.m.–

In group tours, we use the term ‘away day’ to signal a full day of activities away from our home base.  For instance, my trip to Windsor on Tuesday will be an Away Day from London.

But today, ‘away day’ means that this the day that I ‘away,’ for in less than 24 hours I shall be setting foot on English soil, arriving at Heathrow in about 21 hours.

My checked bag is clocking in at 47 lbs without needing to ship anything.  I have packed judiciously, but still have too many shirts and socks, and I know it.

Samson knows that something is up.  He’s being a peculiar dog.

The house is as clean as it’s going to be, save for the bathroom which will be scoured this morning.

Today is the Feast of SS. Peter and Paul.  Thanks be to God for the witness of these two Apostles, evangelists, and martyrs for the faith.

Sadly last evening, I missed The Sound of Music because of an ill neighbor who needed assistance.  I so wanted to see Caitlin sing Maria, and was looking forward to a good production of this show . . . .  (The neighbor turned out to be in a diabetic state with very low blood sugar.  The ambulance guys were very helpful.)

Classic Metalcraft is here re-installing the gate between my house and 23.  This wrought iron gate was removed when the new pad was poured in April.  I’ve had a heckuva time getting a wrought iron company out to re-install. I just went outdoors to check on the work: in less than 30 minutes, holed were drilled, the gate was installed and plumb, and one of the guys was putting in a heavy grout to hold it all in place.  Et viola!

Random note: sunshine exposes dog hair and dust even in places where one thought one was being thorough.  Thanks be to God for Dirt Devil hand vacs!

My housesitters (! for the plural) will take up two beds, so I am putting fresh sheets out, and pulling personal stuff from my dresser top so that Emma can have plenty of space.

I have a few more school things to wrap up this morning, and a quick run to Costco for meds, and then I am ready to roll!

The next blog entry will be from O’Hare, or from London.  Stay tuned.

Saturday continued

The day has been both productive and peaceful, and at 6.30 p.m. the day has turned out to be quite beautiful too.  Clouds have cleared.  Blue sky abounds.  Temperatures are April-ish, rather than June-ish.  I’ve opened up the house for some fresh air.  And I’m writing from the porch swing, Samson by my side.

A quick Costco run led to a trip to the nail salon.

I’m without my boot this afternoon, since I desperately needed a (First-World problem here) pedicure.  And I wanted to give the ankle a chance to talk to me.

It is. I’m back in the boot in a few minutes.

Meanwhile, the time for Evening Prayer is nigh.

And after plowing through the first disc of Modern Family, season two, last evening, I think this evening is going to include planning for the UK trip (AKA itinerary building) and some reading about British history.