Typical Saturday

Yesterday was a typical Saturday for me. Here's the run-down:

Stayed in bed way past our usual time to rise. While we both awoke at our usual 5-ish, I snuggled longer with my honey 'cause it was so friggin' cold out. We just felt cold and didn't want to get out of bed. Finally crawled out of bed at 6:30. What's the world coming to?

Pulled on my naked leather jeans, flannel shirt, and Chippewa Firefighter boots. Got the daily paper from the drive and began scanning it. My partner pulled out the coupon sections and began cutting away. He's a whiz when it comes to matching cents-off coupons with weekly specials so we save more on groceries we buy.

Prepared breakfast of home-made waffles, bacon, and OJ for me; added grapefruit and fruit juice for my partner. Quickly mixed a bundt cake to deliver later and got it in the oven. Signed 10 birthday cards for senior buds and two family members whose birthdays are coming up this next week. (The cards were already pre-addressed and stamped. It takes me a full day, but I prepare about 200 cards a year in advance and put them in a weekly organizer.)

By 8, I got on-line, paid some bills, caught up on email, updated a website for a political candidate who I am supporting, and reviewed some preliminary development plans for a project on which I am testifying in the coming week. My partner changed the linens and started doing laundry. Our division of labor: he does the laundry and I do the cooking.

At 10, I drove to the nearby retirement community to check on my aunt and some other senior friends. Delivered the cake to one of them. She has been feeling especially lonely since her family moved away. Paid my aunt's bills, including her quarterly estimated taxes. Replaced a faulty light switch for one of my friends, and reset the remote on a TV for another. Got the quarterly tax payments for five others prepared and ready to mail. Visited and shared with these cherished members of my senior crew.

At noon, I went back home and picked up my partner for the joyful experience of weekly grocery shopping (smile). Had a short chat with a couple of constituents at the store. Came home, put stuff away, and then my partner and I went to a fixer-upper foreclosure house that I bought earlier this week to review what cleanup was required and start organizing our "attack plan" for required renovations.

By 3pm, we returned home. I got the mail and recycled about three trees. I began to do some batch cooking. I like to prepare tomato sauce, soups, stew, and pasta when I have some time. These things keep well refrigerated or frozen, so when I have less time during the week in the window between arriving home and rushing off to an evening meeting, we can still enjoy a home-cooked meal.

I spoke with some siblings and checked on some of my senior crew by phone throughout the pasta-making time. My partner is accustomed to my multi-tasking. You can't see him in the photo, but he is right with me helping me make the ravioli.

At 6pm, as usual, we had dinner. TV and phone turned off. We always enjoy an uninterrupted evening meal. I prepared a light salad with crab, which we enjoyed with some bread -- did I say I made that, too? Yeah, I bake a loaf of bread once or twice a week. Much healthier and less expensive that way.

After dinner, my partner and I jarred the sauce, stew, and washed the pots and pans, dried them, and put them away.

By 7:30pm, I was pooped. We retired to our basement. My partner turned on his usual blather recorded on Tivo, while I caught up more on the computer. I have to give a eulogy on Sunday for my first mentor who died on Christmas Eve, and worked quite a bit on preparing for that.

At 9pm, I printed out the eulogy I had written and read it to my partner aloud. He gave me some pointers, which I sat down and incorporated. By 9:30, we were in bed. I have a big day -- an emotional one -- on Sunday.

So that's a rather typical Saturday for us. Hope you enjoyed the "tour."

Life is short: wear boots and leather while enjoying it!