Happy Sunday...

I have designated Sunday as my day off, and this will be my second Sunday off in a row, barring any unforeseen complications—like yet another employee quitting or calling in sick. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do if I end up having to go in to the café today.

Then again, I don’t know why I should want a day off. My "Home" to-do list is longer than my "Café" one. I have two Christmas trees that are still waiting to be taken down. One is already sans ornaments and is just sitting in the corner of the bedroom looking forlorn. And the other is down in the living room, scorning me from its corner, with the bottom eighteen inches of ornaments, lights, and ribbons hanging askew—as they have been since hours after they were hung. Having been "catted" into submission by a couple of furry orange devils. Ugh! I hate taking down Christmas; this year, more than ever. By contrast, de-decorating the café was quite painless. One of my crew disassembled the Christmas trees and packed them away for me on a slow morning just after New Years. I wonder who I could pay to make my home decorations go away?

I have kitchen counters full of a week’s accumulation of dishes, groceries, and mail that have to be dealt with. For all that we only use the house to sleep, shower, and watch a little tv, we sure can make a toilet of it. I’m convinced some little gremlins creep out of the woodwork while we are away and have a field day—scattering dirty dishes, blowing clouds of animal hair all over the place, flinging mail and newspapers everywhere. Certainly I am not responsible for this growing tangle of clutter.

On top of that, I have a sick kitty, who spent half of last week at the vet, and we got out of hock on Thursday to the tune of almost $600. And for all that investment, they couldn’t really put their finger on what’s wrong with him. I half believe he is dying of loneliness. For the company of people…us…his "mom and dad." Because we are never home anymore, and he has always been more of a person than a cat. I know one is not supposed to play favorites with one’s children, but this guy….he is special. I would part with $600 more, and more after that, if it would make him better. But I have a growing conviction that he is just…done. And I cannot even go there. Not right now.

So though I have a pile of jobs and worries the size of a small planet sitting on my threshold, I don’t think too many of them are going to be addressed today. I am exhausted and sad…not a highly productive combination. And the husband will be riveted to the television for at least half of the day. His beloved Bears will be in their first playoff game in umpteen years today. So I can’t count on any help from that quarter.

Maybe I’ll just get cleaned up and go to work.

Update: Someone DID call in sick, and I DID have to get cleaned up and go to the cafe. (This person will be jobless as of Wednesday morning... No big deal. I have been preparing for her departure since before Christmas. She will be the last of the dead weight to be heaved off the ship...) So I didn't have to invest too much brainpower into how I was going to amuse myself while husband watched football. The Bears won, by the way...by the skin of their teeth.

I am home now and rooted to my recliner, where I just might stay for the rest of the day. I'm confident the mess will still be there when I'm ready to take care of it... J