The Wife & Daughter Are Away, The Men About To Go Hunting, So What Could Be Better?

Yes, we seemingly have got it made. The two of us have had the house man castle all to ourselves for almost two full weeks already. We have lived like real men and enjoyed it. We eat when we want, clean the dishes when we want (or should is say I clean them when I want)watch what TV we want, sneak a snack when we want,fart when we want and for the most part just goof off all the rest of the time. Of course, there have been our four constant undisciplined pains in the neck our lovable and well trained dogs. My wife gets up and takes them out early every morning and sure enough the biggest one has come to me somewhere between 5:00 and about 5:45 every day for me to let her and the others out. I would not mind much but she licks my face to wake me each time she comes to get me. I guess I should take even dog kisses when I can get them , after all the wife will be home in a week and that will be the end of them.

Seriously now, we have been having a good time and mostly keeping the house in good order. It had better be in good order this Thursday when my mother-in-law arrives. As I look around, from where I am sitting right now, I can see that may take some doing. The place needs to be vacuumed. I am guessing the leaf litter all over the living and dining room floors would not be appreciated by a woman as much as we men seem to enjoy the autumnal decor. The dogs seem to drag it into the house when they go out to do there potty thing in the backyard - which reminds me I had best clean up out there. Yes I walk the dogs, have been walking them frequently but not quite every day (the 2 1/2 to 3 hours back and forth to work each day really cut into my time) but I also let them out back when I am short on time. As for those leaves, I suppose the wind has blown quite a few into the man cave castle house when I have left the door open for the dogs to come and go. They sometimes pester me incessantly as when I am on the computer or trying to watch TV or while I have been readying hunting gear for the trip later this week. Yeah, maybe I ought to vacuum tonight! I mean with us not having vacuumed in almost two weeks it is beginning to look so much like like the forest floor we might soon start attracting wildlife! I would hate to wake up tomorrow and find deer pellets on the dining room floor but then again maybe it would save us some gas we would have used to drive to the hunting grounds. Nah, never happen - not a deer within scores of miles of our place. Oh well, too bad for us. Okay - vacuuming goes on the list of must do's.

When I look around a bit more, I see we need to throw out some shipping boxes and a lot of junk mail. It has all sure been piling up. The boxes seem to have been here almost the whole time the gals have been gone and they just keep multiplying. My son received a big box of shooting accessories, I received some ammo, a couple of pairs of boots (both pairs going back for a refund since neither one fits), and we have received at least one or two other things. Of course, if my wife was home they would have been thrown out either by her or by me because she would have pestered me into doing it long before now. As usual, I was thinking of using them for this or that and just left them laying around trying to think of something useful to do with them. Out they had best go before the mother of she who must be obeyed arrives for her 4 day stay to watch the dogs while we men are on the traditional November hunting swaray.

As for the kitchen, which I cannot see right now, it is pretty clean - well except for the stove top. That needs a good hosing down cleaning off. I wonder, what is best to clean a range top? Maybe I can squirt it down with Gun-Scrubber or brake cleaner. On second thought maybe a sponge soaked in warm sudsy water and some elbow grease might be better followed by a few squirts of Windex and a bit more elbow grease. Sounds like a job for my son. Okay add that to the list to do before the Oma gets here.

As far as dishes go, let me just say that the dish washer has been getting a workout. I often do dishes by hand when the wife is home but since they seem to pile up quicker when she is not around, I have been depending on the dishwasher. Someone at work, yes it was another man, told me using the dishwasher saves money and energy instead of constantly running the hot water (as we men do when we wash dishes). I can see the logic in that and besides the dishwasher does a darned good job of it and I don't wind up with dishpan hands! As it is tonight, my son got into the act and he started the dishwasher all by himself. I am proud of him - he is getting it!

As for me and the son, we have not seen much of each other for the past 2 weeks even though we are the only two in the castle at this time. We do meet now and again at strategic locations throughout the castle such as at the refrigerator, trying to get to the shower before one another, when he is coming in and I am going out, or when I am coming in and he is going out, and an occasional chance meeting now and then. Only about three times have I had to knock on his door to see if he was up and getting ready for school and he already was up and at em. I suppose we have met at the fridge more than anywhere else that being the source of nourishment and cold beer chilled liquid refreshments.

We did have a chance last night to go over the game plan for bagging our game this coming weekend. He was nice enough to stay home to watch the dogs on Friday when I went upstate on my final scouting trip of the year, when by the way I got permission to hunt on the farm my uncle used to own . So, I made sure to show him some aerial maps of the area in which we would be hunting and to describe the layout to him in detail to give him an idea before we actually take a look at it on Friday and hunt on Saturday when the deer season opens.

Somehow, by tomorrow at the latest, I have to grab hold of him long enough to convince him that he should vacuum upstairs and I will do the main level and the basement. Then a quick spiffying up of the kitchen and the bathroom and we should pass inspection by anyone's mother-in-law. Not that mine will really be inspecting, I just want the place to look nice and clean for her when she gets here so she does not get any ideas about having to clean up the place herself. Hey wait a minute, I have an idea...nah better not even think of it!

Oh well, tomorrow and Wednesday should be somewhat busy days around here. If you happen to pass by my place and see two people in aprons, well let me just say it will not be me and Brendan but probably be the maids we hire to get the job done!

All the best,
GB