An Unexpected Reset....

 The weather has been getting warmer and warmer here.  So warm that we had to turn on the air conditioning for the dog. It sounds crazy, I know, but until we did she just hid under the bed all day, seeking out the coolest place in the house. 

So it would come as no surprise with the holiday weekend coming up, the temperatures dropped like they had seen a state trooper in the rearview mirror. And with the cold, came the rain.  Lots and lots of rain. Truth be told, a rainy weekend tends to slow everything down, prompting a much needed reset.  

The lure of overtime drew me to work on Saturday. I left work around two, only to return with an old nightstand I was repurposing at the office and an updated news bulletin board that, since it's install that afternoon, has since gotten a lot of attention. Morale has been at the lowest point I have ever seen, and a few of us are working to find ways to recognize and connect us all.  Currently I am working on a perpetual plaque to honor retirees.  What started as a small project now has me recognizing retirees from as far back as 95, some of whom have long since passed on. Once the drop off and installs were done I headed to the grocery store for some desperate restocking.  Among the ingredients were all the fixings for chili and gluten free honey cornbread. The day certainly called for it, and nothing makes me feel more in the moment than chopping and sautéing, hearing the sizzle in the pan, smelling the fresh baked cornbread in the oven. It's comfort food for the soul.

Sunday called for more grocery shopping, bulk stuff this time, restocking the dog's essentials, and the garden center for a little treat for myself.

(The ever elusive yellow peonies)

The husband and I knocked it all out in about three hours which left plenty of time for early afternoon napping.  Recharged from our power naps, the husband worked on selling and listing sports cards while I tackled the garage.  It's been Youngest's clubhouse for some time now and it needed some serious cleaning and organizing, as well as a thorough checking for unexpected things.  Thankfully there were none.  

The rain continued long into the night, so my inside projects continued. While  switching the laundry over, I noticed there was water was seeping in under the door.  In 16 years we've never flooded in through the basement door, but a quick check revealed that there was about 9 inches of water collected at the bottom of the back stairs. So there we were, the bucket brigade, shoveling bucket after bucket against the tide, or in this case the raging storm.  The husband took the 5 minutes I went into the house to get the ladder and climb on the roof to unclog the gutters.  

I could have killed him, if the rain, winds, or fall didn't.

Thankfully, he returned to earth unscathed, aside from getting stabbed in the butt by the nearby grapevine. Serves him right for not listening to me. So with the water diverted and the dehumidifier running, we finally called it quits. I believe the news reported that we got nearly 4 inches of rain throughout the night. Thankfully, only a small amount of it was in the basement.

Monday was far less exciting, more laundry and hanging out watching TV. My Mum's been trying to catch up on holidays we've missed over the last year so we headed to her house for Chinese food and family.  Youngest did not go, which is a story for another day, and I'd be lying if I said his absence didn't bother me. But like I said, that's a story for another day.

Because today's story is one of clearing the clutter, resetting the day, appreciating the sunshine's return, and embracing the rain... when it's not flooding the basement. 

A reset if you will....

Of the earth.

Of the home.

Of my mind.