Friends and Kitties!
What a weekend. I was happy to get back to work on Friday so I could rest. The Cats may have whined mentioned that I starved them made an Executive Feeding Decision--amongst other sundry injustices last Tuesday. Of course they never tell my side of the story! (And why should they, they're cats, after all...) Here's my excuse for their Terrible Neglect.
Monday evening I did laundry, paid bills, and some general house-wifely titivating. I put out extra Stinky Goodness to ensure full feline tummies and thus a nice lie in in the morning. I was all set for my weekend (Tues & Weds), two days of utter and complete slothitude.
Monday evening I did laundry, paid bills, and some general house-wifely titivating. I put out extra Stinky Goodness to ensure full feline tummies and thus a nice lie in in the morning. I was all set for my weekend (Tues & Weds), two days of utter and complete slothitude.
I got up Tuesday morning a little after seven, made toast and coffee, and flaked out on the Catio. I read for a bit. Played with The Horde. Assessed the cat food situation (plenty). Scott had an appointment so the house was all mine. About tenish I got up to put the cinnamon pita chips away in the larder, but discovered there wasn't any room on the lower shelves, where stuff tends to migrate because I'm so short. No problem; we keep a little ladder in the garage. I innocently ambled out there to get it, and that's the exact moment where everything went horribly wrong. Because the ladder was entombed in drifts of detritus from projects past.
Scott is a great guy--he's handy and can do all sorts of home repair, gardening, you name it, but the one thing he's incapable of is picking up after himself, whether it's clothes, tools, the salt shaker, or anything, really. Granted, he can (and does, quite well) clean, but tidying is beyond his skill set; and, after 19 years together I don't entertain any fantasies that one morning he'll awaken with the Urge to Organize. In fact, I'd be Deeply Suspicious if all of a sudden he started--for example--putting the shaving cream in the basket which has been so thoughtfully provided for him. Right next to the sink. Mere inches away. With all his other kit. When we were newlyweds I threatened to build a 6'X6' clothes hamper (how could he miss?) but even then I knew it would be a waste of time and money.
But I digress...
Not only is our 400 square foot garage Project Headquarters, it also holds all the stock for Scott's eBay business--he sells vintage cassette tapes. (We have close to thirty thousand tapes.) He scours the local thrift stores regularly for cassettes and usually comes home with a hundred or thereabouts, which need to initially be sorted by genre (his job) and alphabetized (my contribution--Scott's dyslexic grasp of the alphabet is tenuous at best.) In between forays to pillage the resale emporiums he hunts and gathers at the hardware store and gardening supply shop, the booty of which are deposited within the steadily diminishing open areas of the garage. Simultaneously, various home projects going on in various stages of completion require numerous tools left lying about with sharp spiky bits just waiting to snag whatever nice top/dress/scarf I've just purchased. Or, in the painfully memorable case of the Left Open Tool Chest Drawer, lurking to put my eye out.
My point is that stuff piles up, all over, everywhere. It's our dirty little secret, our messy garage. The chaos distresses Scott as much as it does me; he starts the "We need to clean the garage" mantra after the first two (on average) layers of strata have been laid down. We meaning me, as I'm the only one at our house whose concept of cleaning involves stowing things where they actually belong, not piled willy nilly in a corner or shoe-horned into a cabinet where hopefully nobody will ever look, nor need, said items ever again. It's like a time machine, sorting out the mess: "I remember painting that room last Fall!", and "Wow--that tree has grown five feet since we planted it in 2009".
I'm still digressing...
Anyway, the friggin' ladder was close to becoming a black hole, compressed as it was from the weight of the multitudinous layers of crap. I have another one stored in the bedroom closet, which is MY domain and thus is organized. So I ask you: did I make the correct choice, intelligently close the garage door, and fetch the ladder out of the closet? No. I stupidly stepped into the messy abyss.
The time was was ten AM.
Eight and a half hours later, I was done. I organized. I put tools away. I stacked, carried, hauled, swept and vacuumed. I recycled exactly 2487923 cardboard boxes, and alphabetized nearly 1000 tapes. And do you know what? I never did get to the top shelf in the larder, and along the course of the afternoon I finished the bag of pita chips, which means I never needed to put them away in the first place.
Hoisted by my own tidy petard.
As penance, I fed the Cats.
As penance, I fed the Cats.
Happy Sunday!
XX Trish XX
Would you come here please?
ReplyDeleteOh, that was what I was going to say - Could you do my living room? Ha ha ha ha...... Nothing like a job like that though, to give you a sense of accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to watch reruns of the Queen's concert. Have a great weekend! T.
As my human and I were reading this, my human was thinking to herself, "Why doesn't Scott just get an intern to help him organize all this stuff?" 'cause that's what she thinks every time things spin out of control in her office, which is frequently. But you know what? I think you actually ENJOY doing it in a weird, perverted way, and as a kitty, you know I am wiser than a human.
ReplyDeleteAh! Ha! I am married to a collector of stuff - who also never puts it away.
ReplyDeleteYa just gotta love them!
Nellie's Mommy
Hmmm... after that I could almost appreciate the Male. But then I looked at him and decided, nah.
ReplyDeleteDidn't you ever stop to think that the horde might have wanted to snoop, dig, play in all that crap? We luv a good mess!
ReplyDeleteIs this supposed to be some sort of Summa Apologettica? Cause, you know, it's lame. Fresh food = First priority.
ReplyDeleteSo we had thought Scott was the one responsible for those tidy rows of cassettes we have seen in pictures, , all alphabetized, etc. Now we realize it is you!
ReplyDeleteOve the idea of the 6 x 6 hamper. Fortunately the Dad at our house is tidy with his dirty clothes. But the accumulating papers all over the place? Drives our Mom mad.
Okay, I have to buy TWO plane tickets now. One for scott to come and do up the catio and fill the house with skyways, and one for you to do the tidying upo. I may just as well arrange 13 pet passports and let the horde come too. But you go home with yours, right - no sneaking Mirsku or Stran across the pond.
ReplyDeleteI bet you were feeling very pleased with you after a day of doing all that organising. Mummy was going to organise her bedroom today but the sun is shinning. That's todays excuse :)xx
ReplyDeleteThat would have burned more calories than a gym workout. :-)
ReplyDeleteYep, feel free to visit Ontario when you make your rounds. Lots of room here to crash, as long as you don't mind the tantrums next door. LOL.
My dad say´s that you are welcome here too , he have given up on my mom years ago too *MOL*
ReplyDeleteMum wonders if you could sort our garage out when you have a moment!
ReplyDeleteLuv Hannah and Lucy xx xx
You mean it only took you 8 1/2 hours to do all that?? You are good! Scott sounds just like my husband when it comes to organizing and putting things away. Feel free to come here...I'll even help! ;)
ReplyDeleteSue (aka Island Cats' mom)
Holy cow! Too bad Mom Julie's just about done with all our sorting..wait a minute (she's nudging me), she hasn't yet done the attic--would you be able to come here next??
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Tom
xx
That sounds so familiar! We have a shed where the diesel storage tanks are kept. They are 6 feet above ground level, and when I had my own horses I kept all my tack and feed bins under them. Everything was neat and tidy, I knew exactly where everything was. Then when I no longer had horses of my own Ivor said he may as well use the shed as I no longer needed it. I agreed.
ReplyDeleteOur letterbox is in the wall of the shed with a box inside that catches the mail, and you have to go in the door to empty the box. You unlock the door, slide in sideways and put your hand in the box hoping there are no spiders in there because you can't get close enough to look, then slide back out and lock the door quickly before something falls on you. I have thought about tidying it for Ivor, but each time I look in I think Nah!
OH...oh my. My mom needs to get into a similar black hole-to-be which is called here The Double H. Why is it called that? It is a polite way of saying H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Hole. EVERYTHING is in there and it hasn't been orgainized in 8 years!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSee? See? See? This illustrates what I've been telling my mom all along--GARAGES ARE EVIL. They are nothing but EVIL TIME WASTERS. Because no matter how much you organize, it will always become DISORGANIZED. It's frightening. And it takes time away from US!
ReplyDeleteScott sounds like our dad Mike. Projects always going, then he gets to the "almost done" part and it sits formonth/years in a done but not quite state. To wit: pulled out old flooring in the guest bedroom Cut and laid new wood laminate flooring. Has yet to get the baseboards installed. 8 months. Mom shudders in dread because the shower in their baffroom needs to be redone. The tile is ordered, supplies being bought.......heavy sigh.
ReplyDeleteTitivating????
M is sitting her laughing so hard at your writing because she says it sounds like this house. You were very ambitious!
ReplyDeleteThe human wishes she'd get in the mood! We're glad the kitties were eventually fed--they look so frail :)
ReplyDeleteMeowm knew there were lots of reasons why she is single......this is just another one! ;)
ReplyDeleteWow! You´re a super-human!
ReplyDeleteI had this awful feeling you were writing this from the emergency room!!! Relief!
ReplyDeleteAustin needs to be alphabeticised and stacked neatly. His untidy fur is a sore point between us :P We need your expert help!
Great post. I love the way you write :)
Our mom tired herself out from organizing the ga-rage last weekennd that she hasn't cleaned in the house for a week. As long as she keeps us fed and watered, we don't care!
ReplyDeleteMom also says that she has good intentions when she organizes to keep it that way. Living with kids seems a lot like living with husbands because the intention never lasts long!
Have a great day.
Sasha, Sami, & Saku (Mom Eileen)
That sounds like our whole house. No organizing here. But that is one good way of finding or getting to something. Just need something that is buried. You should feel very proud that it got done. Good job.
ReplyDeleteSounds like our garage . You did brilliant to be in there for 8+ hours.. Well done Hugs GJ xx
ReplyDeleteYou hang with a bakers dozen cats and STILL don't know how to relax?????
ReplyDeleteAll those examples!!!!!
heeheehee
Mom has those cleany days too...sometines
Purrs Tillie and Georgia,
Tiger,Treasure and JJ
Well done you!!! Please come over my place and show me the way! LOL! I promise a bag or two of pita chips! Whatever they are! Take care
ReplyDeletex
This is hilarious!!! Bless your heart and Scott owes you a big dinner out at your favorite cafe.
ReplyDeleteHugs C
...but...but...they kitties were starving as you put things in order!! Hmm. However, can you show my human Tommy how to clean and put stuff in order? I think she's lost her way-- :)
ReplyDeleteNoir
It sounds like you got a lot done for digressing!!! Hey, and everyone got fed!
ReplyDeleteOur Mom has such good intentions, around 10:00 PM, while almost asleep, 'Yes' she thinks.. 'I'll get right on that, in the morning!'
ReplyDeleteNever happens.
~ The Bunch
Oh our mom is HORRIBLE about putting things away. When it finally gets so messy that she can't stand it, then she will straighten up and put the offending items away! Of course, she leaves us stuff to bat around and fur up when she doesn't put it away!
ReplyDeleteohhhhh myyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! And...all of that after having been sick! You are incredible!
ReplyDeletePlease come and tidy up/organize my husband's side of our closet. It is "the black hole"
Eight and a half hours, what did the police report say? lol
ReplyDeleteSheds, barns, garages.....they are giant magnets that pull in anything that is within 100 yards! And if you start building a new home....the calls start coming of returning home...the house has to grow....again! When they come, so does their stuff....hence, we brought in a large storage building but still the bottom floor was full.
Then you hear,... we are going to an apartment closer to work. Oh my goodness, where did all that room come from and what do we do with it? So, now we are having Habitat coming Saturday to pick up lots of stuff that has been moved to the garage. That is the best way to lose weight!!!! We are here almost 10 years and finally we see walls that were hidden....it's a whole new world down there!!! Two gone, three still here, well, at least there are now more furkids than humans=^Y^=
Thomas says, Thank you=^Y^=
We're unsure how to respond. First, we LIKE clutter. It fun to poke paws into. But second, we DONT have anny experience with female Bein attitudes towards organization, so it MIGHT be better.
ReplyDeleteTBT says that he hisself is sorta between you both. He s really good at organizing, but that doesnt mean stuff gets put BACK in the organized spots right away. He says stuff that will be used again "inna couple days" can stay out. An some things he just doesnt want female-organized. Like shaving cream in a basket (probly with scented soaps an artificial flowers).
WE think (from observing him) that he has a really good memory for stuff left out in odd places. Like he knows the the good scissors are on top of the wine box in the basement, cuz thats where he used them last time. When he shared space with roommates seversl cats ago, he always knew where EVRYONES stuff was, no matter how randomly placed.
Mebbe thats a guy thing. Marley is a little bit like that, too. We can name a toy, and Marley knows where it is!
MOL! ~ Ayla an Iza
8 1/2 hours in a garage when it's 100+ outside - you are amazing! My hubby has an issue with putting things away to. Stuff sits on the kitchen counter for weeks and even when I move it to the center in hopes of him seeing it and remembering to put it away, nope. So much for teaching lessons as you say! Hope Scott rewarded you when you finished all that work! :)
ReplyDeleteI think our garage is the pit where things go to die and never be seen again! We used to have a spare room that way as well, but when the niece moved in we had to go through it (tossed 95%) so we could clean and organize the room she was moving into, which was also stuffed, but mostly with toys from when the nieces and nephew were little. I suppose their being 21 is a good time to toss the baby toys....
ReplyDeleteOh my stars that was a lot of work! Too much work. I need a rest from just reading about it.
ReplyDeletexo Catherine
"Larder", "lie in"? Ok, what British author are you reading? Or have you been celebrating the Jubilee? Hee, hee, hee...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a pretty productive weekend to me. Did you let the cats play in the boxes at all?
ReplyDeleteI salute you? May I hire you to clean up my mess in the store room ;P
ReplyDeleteI know men are not all alike, because I actually know two men who are neater than I am. However, those two oddballs aside, men are basically slobs, and I married one. He has two girls to clean up after him at the office, and me at home. He jokes he has three wives, but that's how many it takes to clean up after one man 24/7. All part of that Y chromosome. Hang in there. Scott has many redeeming qualities, I'm sure.
ReplyDelete