random thoughts – Day 1,170 – (Wednesday) – loose ends

Vacation Day #7 and the final countdown. There was no plan for the day, and when I rolled out of bed at 7:00 to a sunny day, the thought entered my head, “I could go to the beach.” The next thought was a debate about which beach, exactly – Hampton? Salisbury? York? Someplace I’ve never been? Then there were thoughts about what to wear and where it is currently hidden. It became too much work and by the time the coffee was brewed, the idea was off the table.

Reading nook on the porch.

There was morning reading of the news and an actual book on the porch with coffee. The replacement fence post cap was taken from the bathroom closet. The idea struck to go to Lowe’s to get another post cap to replace the latest one that came off on a crazy windy day a couple months ago. Makeup was applied for the occasion. 

Gift card balances were checked on the Lowe’s site which led to a side quest of shopping for peel and stick removable wallpaper for a paneled bedroom wall in a design similar to one seen on Amazon. That led to another mini quest to research installation tips, which seem to indicate it won’t be a good idea to put over painted paneling due to the lines in the paneling. The next idea was to paint instead. The wall space was calculated and notes were made. By then, I was already bored with the idea of the bedroom wall and moved on.

Upon further inspection, the recently detached fence post cap merely needed to be reassembled and reattached, not replaced. The caps were set back in place with the aid of vinyl fence adhesive. The receipt in the bag with the adhesive and the replacement cap indicated the stuff was bought in February. Of 2022. Procrastinate much? Only 15 months for me to glue on a fence post cap. I kind of feel like an actual contractor.

In the end, there was no trip to Lowe’s. There were no physical trips anywhere, just lots of online trips and mental forays down various garden paths, including an actual search for a stone walkway and new steps for the front of the house.

Because I recently searched for “home window repair,” window ads now fill my Facebook feed. An ad for bay windows got me thinking that instead of just repairing the kitchen casement window, I should go big and swap it for a mini bay window with a deeper, more useful window sill. That led to research on the smallest size bay window which is larger than the current opening and there may not be enough room on the wall to go larger. But if there is .... hmmmm.

While loose ends were dealt with on the fence caps, more threads of ideas were cast with ideas for the window, front steps, and walkways. They will join the other ideas already on the list – new shed, new gutters, and relocating most of the plants in the back yard to the correct lighting situations. Maybe a walk-in shower, which would undoubtedly lead to a total bathroom remodel. Awnings for the eight windows across the enclosed porch at the front of the house. I need a million dollar winning lottery ticket.

The summer couch.

Three photos from Italy, which have sat since March on the dining room table next to a pile of frames, were finally set into said frames. The living room was dressed for summer with a pillow cover changeout and the reversible couch cover washed and flipped. In the cold seasons, the couch has the red side of the cover, dark blue pillows covered in a heavy cotton weave, and an ever-present throw blanket. For summer, the look is lightened with the tan side of the couch cover and lighter weight, lighter colored pillow covers. 

While the couch cover and then the winter blanket were being laundered, I read my book. In between the internet searches for bay windows and steps and walkways, I read. Instead of turning on the TV at supper, I read. It helped that the book is short stories. 

It was great to set the phone aside and read a book. Countless times I have intended to do this, and then been derailed by social media, news, streaming shows on TV, and games on my phone. Reading for a good chunk of the day is being logged as a vacation success. One book from the reading pile almost done, countless others to go. Too bad I can’t have another week off. At least the weekend is only two workdays away, and there is a three-day weekend a couple weeks out. This is the sort of mental carrot I use to keep going.