California

It's one of those mornings when I just love living in California....today is crystal clear, sunny blue skies. It's still only mid-50's but it's a beautiful 'winter' day. Not a cloud in sight. The yard and flower beds are still far too wet to really do much - but we did finally remove the frozen nasturtium plants from around the spa. Recovered a handful of seed pods that I will dry and use to replant as soon as the weather's consistently warmer. Nasturtiums grow so easily and look so pretty around the pool - but they definitely didn't handle the freeze a couple weeks ago and wilted and died pretty quickly. Good thing they're easy to replant and will take off quickly once the weather is warmer and a tad less damp.

J. has already made two trips to various thrift shops - we have gotten rid of SO MUCH STUFF! Feels so great! Have reorganized most of the kitchen cupboards and have been able to move things we use often to places they are easier to get to - and move other things up above the refrigerator (for example) which we can retrieve when we use them (which is not often). We 'recycled' at least 20 plastic 'bottles' - the kind you get at picnics and amusement parks. Why did we ever save them? Also donated two full sets of Pyrex mixing bowls - one set from each of our parents homes. We still have plenty of mixing bowls we use often - but those two were above the fridge for almost a decade and never used. I probably thought I was saving them for 'when the boys move out into their own place and need stuff for their kitchen' - but it's far more fun to buy new stuff when you're setting up your first apartment, so we donated the heck out of a bunch of stuff.

They are leaving for Tulare shortly and I will continue working on cleaning out clothes closets. Mine in particular. J. will have several more bags of stuff to donate when he gets home tomorrow - and we'll still have Thursday for more last minute stuff we are able to part with. H. helped me clean out above the fridge - even with the highest step stool we own, I'm still too short to get into the back of that cupboard - so he helped pull everything out, wiped out all the shelves and the top of the fridge and helped put back everything we moved from other places and stuff we decided to keep. He's been a big help and like a 'new' kid the past couple days....I feel hopeful we're on a much improved path - and yet still on guard because I know just how quickly things can turn bad once again. Will I ever lose this 'on edge, waiting for disaster' feeling in the pit of my stomach? I hope so.

I am sort of thinking of working 1/2 day tomorrow. Don't ask me why....but I know there's stuff I should get moving on and the week we get back will be filled with meetings, Board prep, etc. Never down time. Never. But that's OK. That's what they pay me for...and I have enjoyed a full week of not going in - have checked emails (the red blinking light on my Blackberry makes that pretty easy) and responded to a few - but haven't physically gone in, which is nice. That's been a break in itself.

Santa brought us the Harry Potter movie that I hoped to see in the theatre a second time but wasn't able to make it - so I think I'll spend the afternoon watching that movie while continuing The Great Cleanout of 2009. I feel the urge to tackle cleaning out the pantry, the freezer and the fridge and making menus, shopping lists, etc. We'll enter 2010 well-stocked and with a plan.

I love having a plan.