It was a typical week at the start but would end with my 3rd annual 4th of July cookout so I was busy making lists – chores to do, food to buy, people who were coming – the usual. I was also in the final throes of returns from my painting project so was trying to fit in final stops for that. By mid week, the lists were huge.
That’s when I took a look at my calendar, saw that no one on the reporting team was taking Friday off and started thinking about a four day weekend. I had burned 2 weeks of vacation on my England trip and so had been a vacation time miser all year. When I ran a report to see what I had used, it was only a ½ day to leave for Wichita and 1 day to help Helen out after her surgery. No wonder I was feeling toasted! Then and there, I decided to take Friday off and take some of the pressure off my cook out prep.
Despite having no idea how many people were coming (I’d given people until Friday to let me know), I shopped on the way home on Thursday, hitting the sales at 2 supermarkets and finally doing my Menard’s returns. I was headed home to 2.5 days of cookout prep and a day afterwards to recoup. Now if the weather would just hold! They were predicting rain for the 4th and 5th.
I was outside by 9:30 on Friday, to tackle the yard chores. I cleared up the driveway and the yard (I still had empty pots and yard tools scattered around and there were lots of weedy spots) and then started pruning my cherry tree. Before I knew it, I was cutting down all the weed trees in the vegetable garden, which was LONG overdue (one mulberry actually had berries!) When I was done with that, I mowed the lawn, after which I was dripping with sweat and exhausted. I went inside, took a shower and despite having enough hamburgers in the freezer for an army, went to Burger King to pick up a late lunch. My body was a noodle and I sat in my chair knitting and watching True Blood for the rest of the day. I never did get anything else done but went to bed feeling good about my progress.
Saturday was inside chore day. Susan was coming from Kansas for the weekend so I had to tackle the spare room, which had been a dumping ground during the whole painting ordeal and so was a mess. I also had to neatize the entire house. I got busy and had a productive day, ending with everything ready for Sunday but for a few last minute things. I was feeling good about everything and looking forward to the cookout.
I woke up Sunday to black skies and pouring rain. The weather forecast looked bleak. To quote Channel 6’s forecast, “Independence Day 2010 is a washout.” It was supposed to rain all day and then turn to thunderstorms for the evening. It was decision time. I checked 3 different online forecasts and they were all in agreement so I made the decision to cancel. My little house just could not accommodate having 25 people, half of them kids, inside. So I started making phone calls early, figuring it’d give people time to make alternate plans. I was bummed but felt like I had no alternative. In an attempt to salvage something from the day, I headed to the basement and reorganized the laundry room, which had gotten some water in it with the rain and so needed attention. That accomplished, I settled in to a rainy day of watching DVD’s and waiting for Susan to arrive.
Then the weather turned. By mid afternoon it had already stopped raining. I checked the radar and it looked like the front that was causing the problems was already passed. The drear kept up but by dinner time, the clouds were clearing and by 7:00 the sun was shining. I was feeling like SH*T! By the time it was clear the fireworks would happen and I cancelled for nothing, it was after 7:00 and too late to pull it off. I beat myself up all evening. Susan and I still grilled burgers and went down to the fireworks, where we met up with the Harts and Andrea, who were some of my uninvited guests. I was SO embarrassed! I know just how the Chancellor felt that time he cancelled school based on a snowfall forecast that never materialized. The only thing I can take away from this is that I should have waited longer before cancelling. Now I just have to decide what to do with all the food – reschedule (there’s not much to do at my house without the fireworks as a draw) or give it away. !$&#*&!#*
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