Trip Planning

Why is it we always have to work so hard before a trip? It seems like we are compelled to make sure everything is all ship-shape before we go. Heck, we're paying the house-sitter, so she should be able to tolerate our usual mess.

I'll have to admit, its nice coming home to a "fresh start". So, we've been scrubbing the porches, de-cluttering everything, even upgrading the landscaping. Dad is frantically trying to finish the well project that started last October, so we can get signed off on the permits before the trip.

In order to preserve the maximum amount of cash for travel, we've even been doing a kitchen purge-- for the last month we've tried to eat everything we can from the cupboards and purchase only the most minimal amount of fresh groceries. Its amazing the stuff we have lurking in the back of the cupboards! Because we used to live so far from the grocery store, I think we developed sort of a hoarding habit. Even after a month, we still have at least 15 lbs of beans and another 10bs of pasta. But the freezer is cleaned out.

I guess that's another reason why we need to travel-- so we catch up on all of our "to-do" lists.

I look forward to coming home at the end of October and enjoying a clean, organized house-- while it lasts!