“Remoted” - Workday Nine (Friday)

Today could not get here fast enough to wrap up this week that left like a month. Thankfully, it finally did get here, and the sun was out all day and it wasn’t freezing, so overall it was quite pleasant. And it was light out until well after seven o'clock.

The sunny weather was enjoyed in 30 to 60-second increments throughout the day while letting the canine overlords out to the yard and back in again. The weather enjoyment is a result of confusing home design. The door from the kitchen opens not to the back yard, but to a side driveway, so letting the dogs into the enclosed back yard requires leaving the house on a short trip up the driveway to the gated yard.

My dream house, which differs a bit from the one I mortgaged my life to, has a light and airy guest room/office, basement suitable for storage, and a door that opens directly to the back yard, eliminating the walk up the driveway to access the yard. Yes, I know, it’s a lot to ask for. There are reasons my house differs a bit from my ideal, but that is a story for another time.

Each of the many times the fur princes were let out into the sunshine, I thought about doing yard work at five o’clock when I was done working. There are tasks that went undone last fall – the dead, dried leaves of the irises were never removed. The light snow this year left the leaves a visible reminder of my “gardening.” The neglect bestowed upon the yard last year included buying bark mulch but never placing it in the yard. Luckily, that means there are now already three bags of mulch ready for this year. The irises are already coming up and the dogs are tearing them up with their pottying, so it’s time to put up the low fencing that keeps them out of the flower beds.

First salad, then pizza.

Instead of heading to the yard at five o’clock, the journey stopped short in the kitchen and dinner was prepared. Although multiple tasty options were available including leftovers of stuffed peppers, rice with vegetables, and homemade soup, and plenty of fresh produce to make new dishes, the winner of Friday night supper roulette was a salad with roasted turnip and butternut squash and a red wine vinegar dressing. This was followed by a slice of leftover pizza, which is what I really wanted, but made myself start with the salad in an effort to be more mindful and healthy. After supper, yard work was so far from consideration it was like it had never even been a thought. Funny how that works. It’s been a long week. Maybe Saturday. 

Lessons from Remote Workday Nine

1. Receiving packages is fun, but eight separate shipments for two orders feels like a bit too much fun. Each item is shipping individually and individual amounts have been charged to my account.
2. It’s nice that the Prime, UPS, and FedEx trucks captured on my door camera turning around  in my driveway each day are finally here for me.