First thing after getting back from some time away I put on a glove designed from pulling hair off a dog, and I pulled some hair off our stairs. I put away the books I had lined up on each tread and I swept and I hung some pictures I’ve been meaning to hang, including one of Roby’s smiling face I got for Christmas. That one I hung above a light, it’s very charming. 

My in-laws, mostly my mother-in-law suggested a little practice of reflection, looking back at the year past. We wrote about highlights and regrets and hopes, good moments and bad. It took the better part of the morning and it was a nice thing to do, even if couples appear to make it a little redundant. 

Abby was better at reminiscing than I was, and my mother-in-law was better than my father-in-law, so it was sorta halfsies, our doublesies? I don’t know. In anycase I observed that some of the things I colored as highlights were basically chores done well; finishing the apartment, moving the shop, building the garden beds, the chicken fence, et cetera. That stuff stands out to me and I feel good about it.

That’s a bit of a surprise considering how much I drag my damned feet about getting anything done. I suppose the lesson here is not to, that’s why I cleaned up the stairs. I walked up and down them a few times this evening alone, and I felt real good each time. Now if I can just repeat that with the growing list of projects...that’d be good. 

1. clean the shop
2. Finish Mia’s bench
3. paint the beam in the apartment
4. build the railing in the apartment
5. refinish the tread in the apartment
6. book shelves in Roby’s bedroom
7. book shelves in the guest bedroom

I’d like to get that done this winter if I can. I think that’d be enough.