Man Stuff

I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.

Phillipians 4:13



I have had this ongoing to-do list on my white board that I have ignored for most of the summer.  Listed on it are things that need to be done that are outside of my job description.  Marc and I have very defined roles in our home.  There are things I take care of.  There are things he takes care of.   For instance, I mow the lawn, unclog the hair balls in the drains, and cook.  He cleans up after I cook, handles most things mechanical (that I break), and everything that involves vermin.  As summer has progressed my job list started including many of Marc's usual responsibilities.  I wrote them on the board and then ignored them, hoping that somehow they would just go away. 

Well, here we are in September.  Summer is over and my list is still sitting there.  Over the weekend I took a deep breath and decided to tackle some of the jobs I had been avoiding.  First, the generator needs an oil change.  Hmmm.  Decided to pull the manual for that one.  After scouring the manual for better part of a morning (too proud to call the 800 number on the back to just ask for directions)  I found the type of oil I needed...or should I say oils.  Who knew it took two different kinds depending on the temperature outside?  Huh.  Since we use it in the winter I decided on the oil for cold weather.   That may be wrong, but it sounded logical to me.  I'm sure some helpful blog commenter will help me out.  Anyhow, got the oil home and it is still sitting on the counter.  I haven't had another half a day to consult the manual to figure out how one actually changes the oil.  Today I'm just enjoying the fact that I purchased oil and intend to use it.  Don't want to get too carried away.

Next on the list was the persistent wasp nest that has grown to the size of a soccer ball.  Bought another two cans of Raid for that bad boy.  Also bought a bottle of hornet killer for the nest that is in the ground.  I continue to procrastinate on the wasp nest.   I feel I should save some of the fun for my brother.  That has been a bonding project for the two of us.  I don't want rob him of any adrenaline rushes.  I did, however, decide to tackle the hornets nest in the trees.  The boys had pointed it out to me a couple of weeks ago.  I took a general note of where it was located and decided to wait until a cold night to do it.  Last night I tromped out in the dark with my flashlight.  I thought I had a good idea of where it was, but I guess not.  I spent a great deal of time examining the ground for their front door.  I knew I had found it when my flashlight disturbed their slumber.  The ground started to sound like a helicopter on take off.  I quickly dispensed the entire can of spray down the hole and ran for my life.  This morning the bees were happily flying in and out of the hole.  Are you kidding me?  I'm going to fall back on my father's secret method tonight:  gasoline.  Ah....to light the match or not?  I'm voting not.  Nothing good can come of that.

Last on the list for this weekend was crawling under the house to put down fresh mouse poison.  This has been by far the worst of all the chores on the list.  First, it involves crawling where rodents are and have been.  Gross.  Second, it's really dark and dirty down there.  Last, there are spiders down there that would rival Shelob.  I hate spiders.  A lot.  So, I geared up in my sweats, tucked the pant legs into my socks, and put on an old hoodie with the hood cinched down to allow enough room to see and breathe.  I was quite the fashion plate.  I then headed down the stairs into the abyss.  Julia felt my pain and stood guard over the entrance, asking constantly if I was okay.  I had thought about tying a lifeline to my leg, but I thought perhaps that would be overkill...or worse.. a little too dramatic.  After an excruciating five minutes I had placed all the new trays of poison, collected the old, and said the 23rd Psalm about five times.  I then emerged triumphant and gave thanks that I didn't have to go into the bowels of the house for another six months. 

So, that was my weekend.  I gained a whole new appreciation for my husband and all those years that he has taken on the gross and dirty jobs around here.  I was encouraged, though.  I procrastinated on all these things and they weren't all that horrible.  I guess I can do all things through Christ.  Who knew?!?

My weekend summed up in a picture.  Gives me the chills just looking at it!

With love and gratitude....