5 Things I Learned Last Weekend

This past weekend was a long one here in Canada as we celebrated Victoria Day. Well…some of us celebrated. Others took the opportunity to hand their spouses a long “honey-do” list as they looked to take advantage of the weather and that lovely extra day. In case you hadn’t already guessed, I was one of the latter. 😉

Of course, things never progress quite as planned, and as we made our way through the three days, I found myself making several “notes to self” — I thought I’d share them here with you in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation and might be able to learn from my mistakes.

1. Lesson number one: Always examine a potential purchase in the very best of light. How do I know this? Let me tell you a story. We devoted Saturday to getting errands done. One of those errands was to pick up a secondhand Cuisinart popcorn maker that I’d found on our local Kijiji. The woman had wanted to meet me at a coffee shop, I said I preferred a place where I could plug it in to test it, she gave me her address. So far so good. When I reached the apartment building, however, she came down to the lobby with it. Lighting wasn’t very good, but there was a plug and everything worked fine. I paid, left, and continued with errands. When I got home and saw my purchase, I was nothing short of horrified. I honestly don’t think the machine (which uses oil) had ever been cleaned. Ever. It took me a good two hours to dismantle it and scrub the hardened oil out of ever conceivable no0k and cranny — and a shower to rid myself of the rancid smell . I was less than impressed, but it really was my own fault: buyer beware and all. On the other hand…really? You never, ever washed the thing?!? O.O
2. Lesson number two: Never trust the weather forecast. All week long they had been calling for a gorgeous weekend. Sunny and warm, perfect weather for working outdoors. Which is why we devoted all of Saturday to running errands — we thought we had the next two days for doing the work. Late Saturday afternoon, however, the forecast changed to showers Sunday morning, a 90 percent chance of rain on Sunday afternoon, and thunderstorms on Monday. Seriously?!? I was so not impressed.
3. Lesson number three: Never trust the weather forecast. Yes, I’m repeating this for a reason. We decided to do whatever we could on Sunday morning before it rained. We even got up early to maximize our time — on a Sunday, remember. We worked from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. before any precipitation showed up. I resigned myself to the idea of reading and relaxing the following day. 😀 It rained during the night. By Monday morning, the forecast had changed again and we had a gorgeous day during which we ended up getting most items on the “honey-do” list accomplished. Do weather forecasters ever get it right? O.o
4. Lesson number four: If you’re not paying attention, yard work can be hazardous to your health. Hypothetically speaking, for instance, if one were to pull on something stuck beneath an unsecured garden gate, said gate could swing back and whack one in the face, just below the eye. Ouch. (In related news, Traumeel really works — my cheekbone is sore and a bit swollen, but at least there’s no bruising!)
5. Lesson number five: I am not 20 anymore. Heck, I’m not even 40 anymore. 😛 Two full days of hard labor (digging, pruning, carrying lumber, moving stones, raking, sweeping, and other tasks too numerous to mention), and there are so many parts of me in pain that it’s hard to tell where one ends and another begins.  There are actually multiple lessons here: (1) you can’t be sedentary all winter and then suddenly decide you’re the equivalent of the Hulk as you toss things around the yard; (2) the older you get, the less forgiving your body is of the abuse you put it through; and (3) it really is time to return to the gym. Again, ouch.

So there you have it, folks…this past weekend’s lessons. May you heed them well and have a fabulous week! 😉