Friday, August 13, 2010

Going the distance

What separates me from my son? 881.6 miles right now--but that distance will be reduced considerably tomorrow when he flies from Texas to Columbus, where we will pick him up and drive up to our daughter and son-in-law's house for a fun family weekend.

But what separates me from going to Columbus tomorrow is a pile of work I really need to finish so I can relax and enjoy my family time. I've had meetings all week and the evening weather has not been conducive to outdoor labor, so I haven't been in the garden since last Saturday. I need to pinch off the basil buds and pick tomatoes, cucumbers, swiss chard, peppers, okra, squash, beets, and a cabbage the size of a basketball, and don't even ask me where I'm planning to store a cabbage that big.

I'll have to clean the catbox, fill the birdfeeders, and clean the bread-making mess in the kitchen, and I should probably take a glance at my son's room and make sure it hasn't been colonized by dust mice the size of labrador retrievers. If they attack, I'll toss 'em a cabbage.

Laundry? Probably. I need to pay some bills too and pack some clothes. And some vegetables. I worked like a maniac today so I can take Monday off, and I'll have to work like a maniac tomorrow before I can get out of the house. But that's okay. Each task I check off the to-do list brings me one step closer to seeing my son.

Besides, it could be worse--at least my to-do list is not 881.6 miles long.

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