Math

Starting a new week is like beginning a math problem with positive and negative integers. Sometimes you move forward and sometimes you pivot the other way. Case in point. Our aging home is in desperate need of a few upgrades. Time and money are the usual roadblocks but we are determined to persevere and take one baby step at a time in hopes of maintaining a home we can sell before assisted living units start calling our names.

Last Saturday it was time to tackle the kitchen sink and the basement shower. My husband is a very skilled carpenter, but he knows that his expertise stops when it comes to the world of plumbing. He is also not one to watch eighteen YouTube videos in an attempt to learn how to install a garbage disposal from a guy with questionable credentials. So we hired a plumber to take care of the sink and shower details.

Oh my goodness, nothing says love like a garbage disposal that doesn't howl like a monkey and a kitchen faucet that doesn't leak and looks good at the same time. Three steps forward, for sure. Until I started up the vacuum cleaner. As I made a final pass over the hallway floor, the Suck-o-Master pulled in a chunk of a throw rug and began a horrific wheezing. I immediately shut off the machine and tugged the offending rug out of its mouth. All good. Maybe not. After hitting the start button, an acrid smell filled the air and no suction was evident. I've been down this road before. Time for a new belt. One step backward.

Next, the dishwasher. I ran my usual load of grubbiness in a machine that I'm sure is only two years old (which means that it's probably triple that number but who is counting). When the cycle was completed I unloaded the dishes and as I pushed the bottom rack back into place, I noticed a shimmering haze on the floor of the machine. Standing water. Drainage not working. One more step backward. It is the weekend so no service calls will be made without a serious hit to the bank account so suck it up and do the dishes the old-fashioned way. Another step backward.

Thanks to our plumber, the basement shower seems to be working without incident. A new shower head is still needed but we can install that ourselves. One step forward. Time to record a TV show for the evening. Good grief. One of the remote's arrow keys quit working. I attempted the usual interventions, new batteries, turning the TV off and on, banging the remote and willing it to work. One step backward. Finally, I forcefully pushed on the arrow key for several seconds and it chugged into a sluggish working order. Half a step forward. I'm quite sure this isn't going to cure the problem. We will be adding to our list of errands a trip to the cable service provider sometime soon. Another step backward.

I think I am on the deficit end of the number line this go-around, but it is best not to get too mathy about it all. Use the scientific method instead. My hypothesis is that our house and household appliances with eventually be in working order. Just not all on the same day.

Delicious

Days can sometimes trudge along with a sameness that dulls the spirit. It is not that we are incapable of seeing the goodness in our surroundings. It is more likely that we are entrenched in the tasks at hand and feel the need to stay focused. There is nothing wrong with that but it can lead to a string of lackluster moments. Fortunately, we can be snapped out of banality with bursts of deliciousness that come our way, planned or otherwise. I don't live a life of Facebook worthy posts or passport toting adventures so my delectable distractions come by softly. Here are a few that never cease to delight.

1) Glasses of ice cold water--I warned you. My life is dull. But I just cannot take a sip of icy cold water without sighing and feeling great relief as my thirst is slaked in such a pleasant manner. And the price is right. It's a win.

2)  Cardinals--The sight of this mild mannered, crimson bird always gives me pause. With their peaked foreheads, audacious coloring and imposing size, they have the potential to be tyrannical kings. They, however, maintain an air of humility as they flit quickly in and out of a feeding station, never bossing away the smaller peeps. In the dusky evening hours, when most birds have gone off to sleepier times, my cardinal friends stop by and chat for a few moments with their energetic bursts of chirping, reminding me that they have a voice, too.

3) Pianos--From the lowly, upright workhorse to the stately grand showoff, they all goad me to play a song or two. My skills are not Carnegie Hall worthy, but I know enough to to let my fingers match note to ivory key, allowing me to get lost in a cascade of tumbling melodies. Through it all, I am transported to places of rest and inspiration.

4) Hand-written recipes--I have cookbooks filled with more recipes than I could possibly execute in a century of days. My favorite recipes, however, are those that are handwritten with love on a recipe card or scrap of paper because they are recipes laden with memories. Some are cherished recipes from beloved relatives who are no longer with us. Other recipes are from friends I haven't seen in years but I can picture their faces each time I peruse my recipe box. Many recipes are now on stain splotched, faded cards. The sensible thing to do is enter them into a computer for safekeeping. That will not happen under my watch. Handwriting is going the way of the rotary phone and I want to preserve such relics for as long as possible.

5) The first day of a vacation--This is a moment ripe with the potential for goodness. The frenetic planning, packing and unplugging are left behind. The discovery of forgotten toiletries, missed off-ramps and over-priced tourist stops hasn't occurred yet. Life looks good through the lens of leaving town. Enjoy it with gusto.

6)  Autumn--I am always in desperate need of trading the suffocatingly hot and steamy blanket of summer  with the chilled blast of refreshing cold fronts. The trees join me with a nod of pleasure as they display their brilliancy. Lawns stop their incessant whining for attention and gardens beg to be put to rest. It is sweater time and I am not afraid to love it.

I hope your upcoming week is filled with much deliciousness.