One of THOSE days

Skyler laying on the clean towels---you may not be able to see just how downhill his head is laying but I don't know that he is in any better shape than I am today.

If one more thing goes wrong, I believe I should take my husband's suggestion and just go back to bed. I stayed up too late reading a short book I had gotten from the library so I was sound asleep when the alarm went off at 5. Normally I wake a bit before the alarm would go off or Skyler sees to it that I do. At first I couldn't figure out what that noise was but since I want to beat the heat and bright sun beating down while I walk, I got up and got going. So far, so good. I even remembered to run DJ's mail to the post office and the water bill to the drop box. Usually he has to ask me more than once as I walk right past them on the way out the door---I didn't write those checks out after all.

First thing that happened? My ear buds kept breaking in and out on the mp3 player. It had done it before but now it was a more constant thing. By lap 5 I tossed them in the garbage can and continued on without it but as soon as I got home, grabbed my checkbook and off to get a replacement set---NOW, before I got busy and didn't have a set for tomorrow's walk.

Still not such a bad day. I decided to bake before it got to hot in the house---that's when I should have turned around and went the other way. I had some leftover buttermilk to use up, enough bananas in the freezer which I had pulled out yesterday to thaw and printed off the recipe for Banana Oatmeal Cake with Caramel Fudge Frosting. I guess because of the buttermilk, it is one of those recipes where you need to alternate mixing in the dry ingredients with the wet. (There is still some buttermilk left but that might go in cornbread or pancakes later---neither of us would consider drinking it) Still so far, so good.

The flour was in the 8 cup measure, the oatmeal, baking powder----I reached for the baking soda container just as Skyler let out a loud squawl. I turned around to see what his trouble was (nothing, just running up high on the pass through again) and promptly dropped the container right in the flour mixture spewing it all over the counter, the stove, the floor, the rug, me---everywhere! Dump that as who knows what is missing in quantities?

I drug out the shop vac to clean up the mess. I don't use this often, we haven't had it long as it replaced an old canister Eureka we had. When I have used it , DJ has gotten it all set up for me. That might explain why I plugged the hose into exhaust opening instead of vacuum one. My mess was now an even worse one--oatmeal, flour all over the floor---great! The current ant invasion is going to love this if I don't get every speck up

DJ came home from his hardware store run and asked why the vacuum is sitting out. No sooner did I relate the story of why I needed the vacuum. oh great---he is laughing and thinks this is funny! No cake for you, Mister if you keep it up, I am thinking! I told him to NOT put it up till I was done with the cake ingredients. I knew that alternating dry and wet usually sprays the counter with flour when you start the mixer back up so I would be prepared for more vacuuming. Wouldn't you know-- the thawed bananas in the ziploc bag decided to release their liquid all the way from the fridge to the workspace. I told him that if the floor didn't need mopping before it did now. Ugh, it even dribbled on my socks and more mess for the rug!

Turns out unbeknownst to me, he had already swept the floor and spot mopped this morning. You see, the floor was tacky from the ant spray he had to put down right at supper time last night. Yep, Skyler spotted them right near the bookshelf and door threshhold. NOT AGAIN with those darned ants! He thought they were after some old cookie crumbs in a cookie jar we no longer use and headed for his tin where they are now stored. They didn't get the word about the marshmallows stored in the other cookie jar with the unsweetened chocolate. We think they left the stored dried fruit and pasta alone that are in jars atop the book shelf. I have lost more food in the last three years due to the ant waves and we have even had them short out our airconditioner unit. Sick, sick, sick to death of them to say nothing about the ones biting me----in the house! I can avoid the ant hills outside but in my own house?

This cartoon from yesterday's Garfield sort of explains our approach to cleaning. Can't wish it away but when it bugs you enough, you deal with it. The house isn't filthy, it is clean enough but neither of us spends all day cleaning house unless we have company coming---THEN we "G. I. Joe" really clean it. We joke "when is Herb coming?" as the house needs cleaning. We vacuum when it needs it, dust when it needs it. It's not my assigned job anymore than it is his. The kitchen and bathrooms are kept tidy. We just don't live to clean, know what I mean?

So the oatmeal, flour and banana water is cleaned up and the floor cleaned not once, but twice but I hit some spots he didn't while I had the shop vac out. The rugs and cleaning rags are in the washer. I didn't burn the cake----which at this point would have been par for the course at the rate I was going. BUT I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Since then I have caught myself thinking "it would be just like me to drop the batter bowl and break the glass all over the floor". Or "it would be just like me to spill this whole tray full of cubes from the ice maker".

Well, actually I did sort of cause a problem with those the other day, come to think of it. DJ seldom uses ice and I don't use a ton of it but the ice maker keeps churning it out. About every 4 days or so I dump most of the tray out. DJ went to get out a garbage bag from under the sink the other day and found some water standing. Near as he could tell, the condensation from all the ice melting was dripping off the pipes. I am to dump the stuff outside now or risk getting the ziploc bags boxes, kitchen towels etc all wet again.

Dare I try to sew today with that klutzy cloud hanging over my head? I feel like that character from Al Capp's Li'l Abner Joe Btfsplk about now. (yeah, showing my age too). I will wait till afternoon to find out. Cake should be cooled enough to make that yummy frosting---cross your fingers!

ed note---well, I just about messed the frosting up too as I forgot the butter and brown sugar was on the burner and got distracted. DJ said if that cake is even edible, then we should call it "Miracle Cake". Sheesh, I am dangerous!