“One jump ahead of the hoofbeats. One hop ahead of the hump. One trick ahead of disaster. They’re quick, but I’m much faster. Here goes! Better throw my hand in, wish me happy landin’. All I gotta do is jump!”
The chase scene song from Disney’s Aladdin popped into my head as I started to write, and it perfectly expresses what house prepping before a big move feels like. I would have painted the bottom deck, too, but my friend Hilary, an experienced real estate agent, told me not to, “You’ve been doing so much over the past six months; it’s time to slow down.” But there’s this buzz in me, like a bee’s drive for nectar. It can’t stop!
But it did. Instead of painting, Dave, Evelyn, and I sat on the back patio together, eating English muffin pizzas before a trip to the playground.
Tomorrow I’m taking Archie to the office with the stagers set to arrive at 11am. Are any of my clients scared or allergic to dogs? We shall see.
If I finish my work tasks early, after my 9 a.m. appointment, he and I can take a walk downtown.
My Dad stopped by for a dump run and brought his blower. Man, oh man, are those things great. Clearing the entire driveway, bottom deck, and side patio of pebbles, dirt, and leaves was impressive, especially since it meant 97.2% less labor for me.
I failed miserably atop the house’s roof today, far different from the garage’s roof I scaled last week. The slope of the house is insane. The pitch is so crazy, in fact, there are very large metal rings fixed to the top for tying off with a rope. I forewent the rope and bumbled up the ladder. With two feet down on the shingles, the instant slippage tossed my heart into my throat. In a panicked voice, I filled Dave in on my concern, then did a controlled slide to the lip of the gutter before half-blindly searching for the ladder’s rung. I found it, grateful nothing more happened.
I’m a feet-on-the-ground kind of girl. Although I can water ski and have slalom skied a few times, I’m not a fan of snow skiing, snowboarding, or ice skating. I want to feel the earth move under my feet (I’m now singing a Carole King and James Taylor song).
Anyway, no part of my body wants to be awake any longer.
Night, Love, Jaclynn
Going On 40 