Two confessions.

First, 

my porch is CLEAN!

A little embarrassed that it had to be done on a Sunday. 

I have a whole misguided theory of work on Sunday. 

I don't work outside.

This theory has evolved over the years. 

When I didn't have a job

outside the home, 

I didn't even do laundry on Sundays

or run the sweeper,

or heaven forbid...

gardening. 

Then, when my girls went to school,

I started working, 

and all of a sudden,

Sunday 

was 

laundry day.

(well so were Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...but most of you get that scenario)

but still, 

heaven forbid,

nothing 

OUTSIDE!

Over the years, 

I have still held to the 

Nothing Outside 

Rule. 

I would not hang clothes, pull a weed, hose something off, 

or heaven forbid...

MOW! 

But a lot gets done inside,

and 

sometimes

I even go to work at the shop on Sundays,

just to get a little jump on 

Monday. 

I am not proud of these confessions, 

but

sometimes,

after church,

I launch into full work mode. 

This past Sunday, 

I really broke my rules. 

I 

cleaned

the 

FRONT

porch. 

Not while cars were going by heading to and from church though...

In the evening

when traffic was lighter. 

Hey, at least I still have some morals!

And last night...

I sat here and rested 

and 

finished my afghan. 

Aaaahhh,

worth the disgrace!

However,

the day that I

mow

on 

Sunday...

just beat me!

 I have this terrible gripe

about RETIRED neighbors

that sit around all week 

and run their mowers

ALL DAY on 

Sunday!  

But we won't go there now....

And now the second confession...

Monday was delivery day.

Supposedly JWS' delivery day,

but a water line broke

and we had a clogged drain,

so those events determined my fate of delivering. 

Large boxes of shirts,

and not 

LIGHTWEIGHT

boxes of shirts. 

And the Dyson to be repaired. 

I had a circle,

I had the paperwork

(for the shirts and the Dyson).

First stop,

Rosebud Mining,

Dutch Run Mine.

Turn off the main road

onto a dirt road, 

when that dirt road ends,

go left for a little bit,

then right when you see the rusted bridge, 

follow that until the road splits into three,

make sure that you take the center of the split,

back through the equipment 

to avoid driving into the pit.

Those were my directions

the last time I was there,

I figured I would remember

and I did. 

Here is where the problem came in. 

I pull in, 

stop, 

open the tailgate,

get out the box...

oops, 

I forgot the invoice that is laying on the front seat. 

Open the driver's door,

balancing the box on my hip,

reach in with my right hand,

grab the invoice,

without looking,

skillfully fold it in half 

and place it in the box,

proud of myself that I didn't

a. trip

b. drop the box

c. dump the shirts

or 

d. all of the above.

Slightly smug at my new found grace,

I deposit the shirts in the mine office,

back out of the parking area,

(we are not going to talk right now about the close encounter with a large piece of yellow equipment)

make one minor

wrong, but lovely sightseeing tour, turn

and on to the rest of the deliveries,

one being the 200 shirt replacement 

from the wrong year

on the shirts...again,

not part of THIS story. 

THIS story evolves when I arrive at Sears 

with the under warranty 

Dyson. 

We will also leave my love/hate relationship 

with Dyson for another day. 

I park,

reach over on the seat for the post-it note

with the case number

to get the Dyson fixed

and...

it is not there!

Anyone care to guess where it is?  

Ding, Ding, Ding!

ON THE INVOICE AT THE MINE!

All this would not be so bad,

if I didn't have to call the shop to get the phone number for the mine. 

JWS

thinks I should drive back and get it. 

Miles and time aside,

he does not understand the close encounter 

with the coal loader huge yellow thing

and 

the wrong turn. 

So I call,

the mine foreman almost seems to find it humorous

that he has to give me the number to get my sweeper fixed.

Ha Ha Ha,

HE did not see the grace I exhibited getting everything in there.

He also did not see the close encounter with that big yellow thing!