The Day Before

We leave tomorrow. Today is the dreaded "day before" which brings all the packing woes, nerves, dread, worry, etc. Every single time, without fail. 

It feels like I have so much to do before I leave (and then so much to do when I get home). Garden, indoor plants, dogs to sitter, clean out refrigerator, pre-pay bills, PACK -- then hit most of that in reverse when we get home. 

I know it's the case for most people -- lots of work before you can enjoy the fun.

My biggest excitement was a couple days in Paris to myself -- now it's my biggest worry. Can I figure it out? Will shop keepers be mean because I speak only a tiny bit of French? Is it going to be too hot? Will the food upset my stomach? 

Geez -- I hope to be back to something more excited by the time we land. Oh, and add that we're taking the LATE flight so it's going to be that much harder of a travel day for me (or so I expect -- maybe I'll be surprised and like it better).

Father's Day lunch was nice -- very easy and just the right touch (if I do say so myself). 

After everyone left, I made pickles. They'll keep for a month if all goes well. I used the jalapeños from the garden too -- a little spicy pickle. I gave away more cucumbers AND pickled 4 big jars AND I have 5 in the bin still AND about 7 are ready for picking today. Cucumbers out the ying yang. 

My neighbor is coming over this morning to get the garden tour so she can pick while I'm gone. Needless to say, the tomatoes are a mess again. I'll trim some this morning. I have no idea what watering schedule to follow now that the heat and humidity is so high. I need to spray a hydrogen peroxide preventative treatment for the tomatoes, but it's spread over a week and we're leaving. Hopefully, it'll be okay when I get home.

Today is the day I want nothing more than to stay home. I'll be happy to go and this will all fade away once we get on the plane. It's a bugger to go through it every trip. 

I'm focusing on future self -- during this "before" and for the trip. Making pickles was one of the FS things -- I did have time and energy to make an effort. I also painted rocks (still in process) and I'm bringing one or 2 on this trip. I'll be hanging out in some art areas and I thought it would be fun to leave a rock. Taking some effort, but worth the effort. Little bits add up to fun days.

I have a filled-to-the-brim day today -- preparation is the key for a good trip for me. Hope you are set for a nice week. Later gators.