What Happened to February?

Blogging has taken a backseat to living on the run. Not from the law. I’ve not gone over the edge – yet! There are multiple reasons for my absence.

Has there been a time in your life when it was easier to buy new underwear than it was to find a moment to do laundry? That about sums it up.

School is VERY busy, but it is all the other details of the last few weeks that make me feel like an old VCR stuck in fast forward.

Months ago I agreed to be a presenter at the Washington County Spring Gardening Seminar February 28. I’m a Master Gardener and I absolutely LOVE teaching and sharing all things gardening. It is my favorite thing. I’m confident the program will come together and be wonderful, but have I searched and organized slides for my new presentation? Nope. It is still in outline form. Ouch!

What will never come together is my dishwasher. It recently decided that it wanted to rinse dishes for the rest of eternity. It would not stop gurgling and spraying. The ageing Gaggenau was going to run until it killed itself. It has been unplugged and pulled from the kitchen. Bliss loves to explore the depths of the black hole that remains.

Add shopping for a dishwasher to my every growing, extra-long, must get this done right away, to-do-list. And, while running to what seams like most of the appliance stores in a 25 mile radius because, of course, this will be a special order for a tight space, I need to make the effort worthwhile. I’ll just have to pick out a new cook top, range hood and oven. The appliances in my soon to be updated kitchen are 43 years old. Let me repeat. They are FOURTY-THREE years old! The range hood hasn’t worked for a few years. It is time for new. I am going to stimulate the economy. I’m shopping! Then there is the installation….

With all this driving between stores, and school, and doctors appointments, while stopped at red lights, I can read a few paragraphs of our township’s Comprehensive Plan. Normally, serving on the Planning Commission only requires reviewing plans and attending a monthly meeting to hear developer presentations, review more plans and taken action on those ready for a vote. Of course, now, it had to be now, we are rewriting the Comprehensive Plan. Chapters 5-8 for THIS Thursday! Ouch! Yikes!

Oh, I don’t want to forget to mention a project I’ve been pulling together for months. I am organizing a day-long seminar with 12 speakers and breakout sessions for 300 participants. It is NEXT week. Everything is going pretty well, but MY SECRETARY QUIT! Ouch! Yikes! Say a prayer! She did the right thing considering a family concern, but I could sure use some help with registration. I’ll be interviewing for clerical help two days this week, not that I have the time, but maybe, just maybe, the new person will be able to work the day of the program. My fingers – and toes – are crossed. Oh my gosh! Just this instant I realize I forgot to cater lunch for the speakers! Insert scream here.

I miss blogging. I miss taking photos of the birds. I miss sitting in my favorite corner of the sofa reading my favorite blogs. I miss daily visits with writers with whom I feel a connection – even if it is in a cyberspace kind of way.

Know that I’m swimming my way out of this whirlpool. I just have to remember not to struggle to exhaustion. I’ll let the whirlpool toss me around a bit and go with the flow. The results of all this juggling will be glorious: a great conference, a fantastic lecture, a 10 year plan for the township, a new secretary and practically a new kitchen. It is an understatement to say that February has and will continue to be overly busy. Thank you for letting me vent and explore my exploding schedule in this very public way. Ahhh…. Breathe….

Now, where is the phone number for the caterer?