lists

For the last four weekends, we've been out of town. So this weekend I'm looking forward to a little time at home. Unfortunately, I'm sure this also means dealing with "the list."

It started as a short one, things I needed to remember to do. Then Steve suggested that we make a list. I provided mine, since it was already started. It was simple: back up computer files, refill Bailey's prescription, get adapter for the air cleaner, manifest abundance. You know, the standard stuff. But with Steve's help, the list became neverending. We added: organize the tools, plant grass, get the lawn mower fixed, buy cat litter and clean Dad's boat. These are not standard in my world. But they are now written down, which makes them, by default, "things to do."

Priorities change when you move out of a one bedroom apartment and into a rent house - I didn't have a lawn, nor did I need a working lawn mower. Priorities change when you become one half of "a couple."

Parts of it are easy - like buying a lawn mower. Parts of it are harder - like planning dinner for two that suits both his appetite for beef and fast food, and my appetite for anything else. Throw his ulcer into the mix and it makes for difficult meal planning. And while I hate that this recent flare up has caused him pain, it is the perfect answer to the fast food dilemma. It is now basically off limits. It has, though, made meal planning and preparation even more difficult. And this morning, I am trying to make yet another list - what to buy at the grocery store. It looks different than previous grocery lists and includes more green vegetables and fruit. Spicy foods and chips are out; lean meats are in. And when I check out, I hope that I have managed to find compromises that will suit both of us.

And so this weekend, between cleaning up the boat, planting grass, and running errands, I will be cooking healthy meals. And while it may be more difficult than stopping at Arby's or Taco Bell, it will satisfy at least this half of this couple. As for the other half, perhaps he can learn to like broiled fish.