Monday, December 8, 2014

Uh-Oh! Am I Qualified to Write This Blog?

This is not the post I planned to publish today.  That one still needs to be written.

Yesterday, I spent almost the entire day outside.  We were putting up our Christmas lights.  Or more specifically, that is what we set out to do.  We did get most of them up - but it became a little more involved than we expected.



An unplanned chore 

We had the “big ladder” out to hang the wreath over the garage, so I decided that it was a good time to mention to my husband something I had noticed when snow was melting off the roof. I had seen water overflowing from the side of our roof gutter, instead of out the downspout. I wondered if something was blocking it.

Oh, boy! ...  An hour later we had removed two rubber balls, some unknown debris and a ton of thick silt from the gutter.  Good thing it was warm enough to hook up the hose and use it to rinse the muck off everything that had been splattered, when we eventually got the gutters unclogged. What a mess.


Hanging lights used to cause some tension - but not anymore!

My husband and I finally returned to putting the lights on the trees. Thanks to the string light hanging pole that I mentioned earlier this week, this process went really smoothly and was accomplished without any tension! I really love that thing!


How could I not have done this before ...

Once the trees were decorated, I started to arrange the ropes on our rock walls.  Withered iris leaves (which I had not found time to cut back before winter arrived) were quite an unsightly distraction, so I decided to remove those before I finished with the lights.



As I was cutting down dead foliage, I was mentally berating myself for not having done it sooner.  I was thinking, "How can I write a blog about making the most of every moment, when we clearly did not do the home maintenance and yard work that we should have in the fall? Wouldn't someone who makes good use of her moments complete such tasks in a more timely fashion?”


Gardening in Montana in December - perhaps that is making the most of a moment!

But I suddenly decided to see it another way.  I reminded myself of all the things we did accomplish in autumn. Also, yesterday was an unbelievably gorgeous day - warm and bright and sunny, with no wind. Cleaning the gutters wasn't exactly fun - but it wouldn't have been in September either. I love to garden, and even clearing away dead plants can be enjoyable for me. What could be better than being outside on a December day, needing only a sweatshirt to stay warm - gardening in Montana in winter! If that is not making the most of the moment - perhaps nothing is!





I am not an expert at making the most of my moments ... far from it, a lot of the time, I'm afraid! But, perhaps that is exactly why I can - and should - still write about it!


Happy Holidays!
How often do you clean your gutters?  How does mud get on the roof?!

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20 comments :

  1. I've wondered that? Mud on the roof, I mean. Does it rain down? I love that you could work outside in December! That truly is making the most of every moment!

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  2. Yes, it rains mud in this neck of the woods. Your property looks so inviting. We rarely see snow!

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    1. Thanks Carol - we enjoy it ... and I like the snow if only it would stay off the roads!

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  3. I laughed at your post Susan. It was like the book "If you give a mouse a cookie" - one task always leads to another! I love your positive attitude - and yes, a sweatshirt day in December is truly a treat :)!

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    1. I think every home project is of the "if you give a mouse a cookie" variety --- at least in my experience! Nothing ever gets done as quickly as expected - even since I've learned not to expect it!

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  4. I was lsughing because there is always something to do around here! I don't know how people get it all done. Our yard is a disaster. It could be worse though! And we still need to put our lights up!

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    1. At least we are in good company! And don't worry, Michelle - I still have a few lights left to finish :)

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  5. Sounds to me like you made the most of so many other moments that the gardening just fell by the wayside. Isn't that a good thing in many ways? And if it makes you feel any better...we just took down our withered hydrangea bush on Sunday, and there are still plants and weeds to pull up from our garden!

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    1. Thanks for these kind words, Leslie! Glad to hear I am not the only one still putting the garden to bed!

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  6. Sometimes there aren't enough moments in the day.
    Mud on the roof? Wind carrying dust which settles, and is followed by rain. If the rain is gentle it doesn't get washed away but forms a sludge. Which gets built up over time.
    And it is a loooong time since we have made the most of a moment gutter cleaning. And we should.

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    1. Good explanation! It had been a long time since we had cleaned our gutters ...

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  7. This is a job hubby and I have been putting off...and off...and off! It just seems like time flies by and we can never get the things that we need done. It's called triage as you well know. Maybe that is making the best of every moment deciding what must be done right now and putting off what can be put off. That deciding what is important and what isn't at the particular moment. I'm sure you were equally busy in the fall. Cut fingers and all so don't give yourself a hard time you have your act better than anyone I know but you don't have to be perfect that would be so boring!!!!!!!

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    1. NO fear of that Rena - I am pretty far from perfect! Thanks for making me feel okay about it!

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  8. We have gutter guards..I hope there's no mud up there lol.

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    1. Since we don't have many deciduous trees, we didn't see a lot of need for gutter guards ... perhaps they would have kept the 2 balls out though!

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  9. There's always something needing to be done, whether it's cleaning, fixing or whatever. That's just how it is, I guess. I was just talking about needing to clean the gutters yesterday!
    The last time it rained I really noticed, as the rain was pouring down from over the sides of the gutters, and especially on the corners. Yes, that's a BIG hint that it's overdue for a gutter cleaning, right?

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    1. That is exactly what i saw that made us take a look. Better check yours Kim! :)

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  10. Off late the weather has been great around here...

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