Busy Day

I had a difficult time making up my mind whether to post today or not, so maybe I can keep it shorter.   Joe came over this morning and we spent a full 4 hours cleaning up the yard, driveway etc.  In the back yard a lot of the debris blew onto Ed's property, so he ended up getting a good cleanup as well.  I was absolutely worn out by the time it was over - I helped with the bagging of the debris and a few other smaller jobs, but it was as if I put in a lot longer day, and when Joe left I just conked out on the couch.

I have mentioned that all the dirt, dust, and debris from this part of the park blows right into mine and Ed's properties, and since I don't close my windows it gets into the house, although today was even worse.  There is a film of dirt on everything, so I think tomorrow I will have to spend cleaning.  When I turned on the shower a rim of grimy black dirt was all over the tub, and I had to clean that before I could even get into the water.

Art class was this evening.  I thought I was over it as I've really tried to not let anything bother me and to become more laid back as I age.  I have always held myself to an impossibly high standard and it sure hasn't changed.  I'm not that way with other people, but I can never do anything to satisfy the perfectionist standards I set for myself.    I can be a slouch on many occasions, but when it comes to something I want to learn and to become good at, I have no mercy.  I have to do something about my attitude or I'll never continue with wanting to paint.  To be fair to myself, my vision is a big factor in how I paint, and I have to figure something out.  I had a good talk with the art instructor, and I think we can come up with a solution, although I'll have to give up some of the control I have always wanted to have over myself and how I do things.  Maybe this will be one of the best things that ever happened to me - it is certainly an eye opener into how i must appear to others.

I had an unusual experience today when Joe was here.  I was in the bathroom trying to reach the thingy that releases the screen as we wanted to plug the leaf blower in the bathroom outlet.  I pulled the shower curtain aside and stood on the side of the tub, leaning towards the window and reaching up.  Joe walked in and caught me!  Anyone with several children knows how there is a dynamic with each one that is different from the others.  Joe is my youngest, and while the others often feel free to tell me how or what to do (absolutely knowing I will do what I want), Joe never has, and he's never criticized anything I do or don't do.  I'm sure he has his own opinion, but he's never said much one way or another about what or how I do anything.  Today was an exception!  He saw me on tiptoe on the side of the tub, stretching upward, and handed me a lecture on falling, lying in the hospital, getting pneumonia and all the rest.  He didn't yell, but he didn't mince any words either.  I was shocked, but also pleased.  

So much for keeping this post short!