Today and Tomorrow

Today I've earned tomorrow. Doesn't that sound nice? Today the mail carrier delivered all the mail that's been saved for us during our trip. We weren't sure of our exact return date, so we decided that August 30th was a good delivery date, just in case we were a little late getting back. We knew we wanted to be home for our anniversary, but delays happen, so we built in a cushion. We didn't want a month's worth of mail sitting on our deck waiting for us to return. It's a nasty job, sorting through five weeks worth of mail, but I managed. Everything has to be opened and sorted into things that need to be handled, shredded, recycled, or trashed, and things that need to be read, like magazines, or filed, like crochet pattern and recipe booklets. 

It's not fun, and I always used to procrastinate. Actually, I used to stuff it in bags and stick it out of sight. When we moved from California, there were bags of old mail that had never made it past the "I'll sort it later" stage. I don't live that way anymore. Suitcases were emptied (by me) when John brought them into the house, nested together and stored away. Laundry was done the next day. We're having visitors tomorrow, and I'll be able to enjoy them, because I won't have to go crazy stuffing things in closets and trying to figure out where the vacuum cleaner is. What a concept. Part of it is just sticking to it; part of it is having a house large enough to actually be able to put everything away; part of it is having learned how to do it; but I think the biggest part is being happy where we are, so I can enjoy being here enough to actually take care of things.

So what have I earned tomorrow? My daughter-in-law Ruth's parents, visiting from California, and two of Ruth's brothers and their wives and children will be coming to visit, and then we'll all be heading into a nearby city to attend a Freshman football game that one of the older kids will be playing in. I'm really looking forward to the fun and chaos that comes from a big group. None of them have seen our home yet. I'm trying to remember how many kids they have between them, and what the ages are. We're not exactly kid-proofed here. I don't want anybody falling down our circular staircase. Alright, everybody, grab a small hand and hang on...