I had planned the week before our travel begins to space out all the little chores that have to be done before an absence of ten days. Today was the day I had set aside to clean and vacuum the main floor of the house. You see, I have this sickness that makes me want to get everything tidied, all the bills paid, clothes washed, last plants potted, etc., before going away for any length of time. Other than being totally OCD, it does have the advantage of allowing me to return home with nothing to do except go the grocery store to replenish all of the staples that I meticulously ran out of just before leaving.

Today was also “trash day”, meaning that we had to gather all the trash into the big garbage bin and drive it down the long hill of our driveway to be picked up on Thursday morning. I also clean the bathrooms on trash day. I use those Clorox cleaning pads that can’t be flushed, so I always clean the toilet simultaneously with emptying the trash baskets so that I can release the wet pad into the trash bag I carry with me when collecting trash from the bedroom.

My husband also decided to clean the shed today. Although that hadn’t been part of my plan, he needed help, so I added it into what I was doing. Last month, he had gone to the shed to get a bucket. When he took it down from the shelf he discovered a nest with four tiny hatchlings. The shed is well-built, but not airtight. There are some spaces just under the roof that the mom and pop had apparently discovered when they were getting ready to build their nest. And build it they did, making a cozy, warm, and safe spot for their family-to-be.

Yesterday when we went back to the shed hoping to get a picture of the babies at a later stage of development, we discovered that they had developed so much, they were already flying around. So, putting two and two together, or four baby birds plus two parents on the wing, you can imagine what we were cleaning in the shed. If thanks can be measured in droppings, they were very thankful, indeed, for our kindness and for the free use of the shed for the duration of their parenting. We wish them well.

As it turned out, getting involved with the shed gave me the opportunity to collect the cat feeders and extra litter pans and bring them into the house. I got a jump on filling the pans and the feeders are where I can get to them tomorrow to insert the batteries and check them out to make sure they are working correctly.

So far, so good. Got everything checked off of my Wednesday list!