Sequential Vortex

So, the bed is made. We'll be climbing in soon -- I wanted to relate this tale first.

This morning when I arose, late and sleeping in after a long week of late night computer work and assignments, I decided not to make the bed. I needed to strip it and wash/change the sheets. Not a problem. However, I was not looking forward to having to shake out all of the cat hair before washing and again before drying. We have a long-hair and she nervously, constantly sheds.

As I walked past the spare room, I saw the set of sheets that I'd removed the last time. Uh-oh! I'd set them aside, wanting to delay the whole shaking endeavor. They weren't in anyone's way, but it bothered me that they had been overlooked.

Here's where the whole vortex could have been avoided: I could have opted to NOT address those sheets today. They could go into the hamper. But no ...

First, before laundry I needed to eat. Before eating, I had to fix myself something, which had to be preceded by doing yesterday's dishes. Dishes done -- time to fix a sandwich. Wilted spinach, tomato, havarti cheese and avocado on a low-carb wrap. Pretty good.

But I didn't eat it right then and there. Off to the restroom (obvious reasons) and I decided that I needed to change out the cat litter. That's something best done before a shower, so in order I cleared the litterbox, the rest of the bathroom, and then myself.

Back to the kitchen, dried off and dressed, I stepped out onto the porch to shake out the sheets. We've had several windy rains lately and there was lots of pine straw on the porch. I didn't want to get that onto the sheets as I shook then, so, sheets down, broom up. The old porch mat hadn't dried well since the last rain, and I had a better one to use, so into the trash it goes. There's a wet spot there where it was, which I needed to clean up before i could finish sweeping the porch. I completed a brief sweep of the steps area, shook out the sheets, and placed them into the washer.

I then remembers to eat(!) and sat down to hear my favorite radio show. It's now 1 PM. I'm having breakfast. Not good.

2 PM: Back to the porch. The wet area is dry, but there's lots of pine straw blown all over the place, and things look a bit grungy. By 4:30 PM, I'd managed to scrub off/semi-power wash the porch, sweeping repeatedly, clean several years worth of flora off of an old chemical containing meat crate, shake the wet sheets out before transferring them to the drying, and start over with the sheets I'd actually taken off of the bed this morning. Lots of stuff has been thrown away; lots of stuff is cleaner than it's been for a while.

Time to make the porch more livable: the recycling and chemical storage containers were moved around, and two of the yard chairs were placed onto the back porch. Neither was in the way when it was time to shake out the 2nd set of wet sheets.

5 PM. Time for a PM snack, but first, I really needed to make the bed. Of course, looking into the mirror right by the bed, I realized that I'd not done a thing with my hair (long since dried into whatever shape it wanted to assume after a shower.) Time to use the curling iron. I then opened the hope chest to pull out new sheets, and finally got the bed made around 5:30 PM.

After a snack of middle eastern salads (tabbouleh, labni, tomatoes and baba ghanoush (homemade by Izzy!), and a nice call from Gashwin (sometime dureing the afternoon), it was finally time to do what I'd been (unconsciously?) avoiding all day. I listened to the three week-one stats lectures for my on-line nursing research course. There is an assignment on rates and ratios and risks that I'll do tomorrow.

Where did I sit to hear those lectures? Why, in a nice rocking chair on the mighty clean back porch! I stayed out until the mosquitoes found me.

Back inside, I've been working on things for my two other classes. The sheets are all folded (plus the towels - if you're in a laundry mode, you might was well do those, too) and the rugs (also washed) are drying on the porch furniture. Supper dishes are done, and it's time to climb back into that bed.

Making the bed tomorrow will probably take less time.