While the Cat’s Away…

Well, technically the cat is here, her handmaiden is away. But whatever.

The roomie is out of town. It doesn’t happen often, that she leaves and I don’t. Last time, I don’t think I did much except what I always do–keep the house running. Which isn’t really fair–when I go out of town, the roomie usually cleans. Once she put (IIRC) 26 miles on her Fitbit, in a cleaning/dance party.

So. This time she’s gone for three weeks. My school is out, so work is a lot less of a pain in my backside. I’m still busy, but it’s not a matter of “get it done get it done get the next thing done omg did I get that thing done?” We’re in Prep Time now, and it’s not so hectic. So I come home less exhausted.

And therefore, I proudly present…

The List!†

Front Bathroom

• empty garbage, wash can
• stock TP
• clean toilet (natch)
• clean the shower
• clean the sink
• smack bathroom fan?
• Help that plant IDK what the hell’s wrong with it
• Discover who all that carp in there belongs to. There’s way too much stuff in the shower for three not-into-all-that girls.‡

Front Hall and Closets

• hunt down and sweep up wandering cat and dog food
• dust
• rearrange closets so they work better good lord.
• maybe think about what would make those closets work better? (maybe do this before the actual rearranging. Or not! Spontaneity is fun!)

Living Room

• Deport all the dust bunnies
• deal with stuff stored on the floor in the corner for literally months, come on now
• clear tall shelf of stuff that can be put away or sent to Goodwill
• rearrange seating to make perfectly good living room NOT look extremely small
• wash window? (just wash the window, KD, don’t question it.)
• dust blinds
• replace HVAC filter

Kid’s Room

• shhhh, don’t tell her
• clear out garbage
• find things she “borrowed” and I haven’t seen since, such as possibly three backup batteries

Kitchen

• oh you know. Kitchen stuff. Keep the dishes up, fix food, take trash and recycling out
• possibly rearrange here too? but not too much. Roomie doesn’t cook when she can’t find stuff.
• clean out the fridge
• rearrange the freezer
• scrub the sink
• clean the microwave
• clean the stove
• refill water
• mop the floor

Back Hall and Bathroom

• move stuff that doesn’t belong there OUT. Why is there a bag of potting soil in the hall? And no matter how pretty the ladder is, it really doesn’t need to be there*
• clean the toilet
• clean the tub
• sweep
• mop the floor
• wipe down washer and dryer and sort out the detergent situation
• deal with all the empty TP rolls. (don’t ask.)

My Room

• oh hell it’s 10 p.m.
• sweep, dust
• rearrange bookcase, decluttering as I go
• declutter/rededicate bookshelf outside my room
• rearrange desk

Backyard

• fix the fence
• clean up the shed (terrifying. It’s been occupied by teenagers)
• clear junk off the porch
• clean grill, get propane refilled
• defrost outside freezer?
• weed whack around the citrus trees
• deal with STUFF lying around in places
• transplant the herbs and stuff
• clear off the cart and do something with it
• get the rusted-on hose off the faucet
• get irrigation set up once the faucet is useable

Front Yard

• palm fronds how are there so many?
• weed whack corners getting out of hand
• water everything that’s supposed to be alive and see if it is
• Figure out if the ladder is tall enough I can clean the gutters. If not, either hire a person with a ladder, or buy a taller ladder.

Carport

• get stuff that’s just stashed dealt with. What do you mean there’s more potting soil?
• investigate the floor situation

Healthy Choices

• Make overnight oatmeal consistently
• make healthy lunches consistently
• plan healthier dinners
• go to the gym
• go swimming
• stop accepting junk food for fish’s sake! Yes, they love you. No, you don’t have to eat the donut/breakfast burrito/candy.

General Adulting Shit

• call for termite inspection bc we do NOT want them
• call for roof inspection before monsoons
• check the easement bc another $400 cactus would really suck
• Wash car
• Get oil changed
• Call handyperson about ceiling fans, bathroom fans, broken drawer, hole in wall**
• med appts
• make eye appointment

Good lork, that’s a helluva list. Tune in tomorrow for an update! Or not. I may just go hide under the bed now. (KD, there are dust lions under the bed, and possibly an actual lion who is irritated at the absence of her handmaiden and will eat your face.)

Oh, and did I mention I’m still editing Flame?

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†I make NO GUARANTEES HERE. It’s just a list. >_>

‡I mean, once we took Greyhound from AZ to FL, spent a LOVELY week at Disneyworld, and took Greyhound home, so we were gone for–well, the plan was eleven days I think it ended up being thirteen because Greyhound, BUT ANYWAY. At least ten days was planned and none of us took so much as a comb. Why is the shower full of stuff?

*family joke. When we bought the ladder, the packaging said it was “so pretty you won’t want to hide it in a closet!” It is not, in fact, a particularly pretty ladder.

**my house is not actually falling apart, but it is something like 70 years old. It needs some TLC.