Loose Ends
Stop the world
Susan Nienow

We took a trip to see our daughter in Africa. Many asked me about jet lag. There was no lag on our return. I was too busy to notice. Who filled up my calendar with dawn to dusk appointments, commitments and chores? I was already behind the day I got back.

Now I am looking for creative, no-guilt ways to say, "Sorry - I can't go (do, finish, show up or any other commitment on my part)." And that only goes for the things that are written in my calendar - there is no accounting for the rest of the things I have forgotten to do or to show up for.

We were only gone 21 days, so how did the house get so dirty? We don't even have a pet hamster. There is a layer of dust on every surface and, of course, we brought back nothing but dirty clothes. Not to mention the fact that my winter clothes are still hanging in the closet, so I have to sort through the bins on the floor to find something with short sleeves.

Don't ever leave your yard to its own devices for three weeks in the spring when it rains more than an inch a week. My other half is still trying to catch up with the mowing. Did someone give the chickweed growth hormones? It has overtaken several small trees and buried my flowerbeds. It is currently producing enough seed to choke out all of the corn in Kansas. So next spring, I can't leave town. I may have to take a leave of absence from my several jobs to guard my yard.

Our squirrel-proof birdfeeder is not raccoon proof, so we took it down while we were gone. I thought raccoons had very small brains and wouldn't remember where the sunflower seeds are after that long. No such luck. Our raccoon is testing way above average. He cleaned it out the first night we put it back up. I think he sat at the edge of the woods and waited for us.

Yesterday morning, I watched a rabbit nibbling on my perennials. The new leaves must be especially succulent because every time a few more come up, she nibbles them back down to the ground again. I haven't had time to put out the rabbit repellent. That's my excuse. Last year, the rabbits seemed to be energized by the repellent and ate things that the plant catalogs said were on the rabbit list of least favorite munchies.

I have hostas close to the front door where the deer don't come. But when I divided my hostas last week, I put the new plants at the edge of the woods where they could be discovered. I put protectors around those deer hors d'oeuvres and vole delicacies. If my ideas work, I could market the solution. The odds are in favor of the critters, though.

Next year I could get away in the winter - but my other half just reminded me that chickweed is a winter weed.