Building a list

I had a free and clear Thursday today, and I took some of the time to straighten out the garage.

About once a year, maybe 18 months, I need to rearrange the garage. Bikes, scooters, sports equipment, holiday decorations -- all these things take over the floor space of the garage (we don't keep the car in there) over time. This time, it was bad enough that getting to the Christmas lights would be like a scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark." So after a little more lazing than I would have liked, I started pulling much of the clutter out and reorganizing it. The shovels and rock salt are now outside, ready for winter, and the Christmas decorations are now accessible (I'm not putting anything up until December).

As I was reorganizing, I started seeing and thinking about all the projects, big and small, I want to get done. The electronic dartboard I got for $20 at Sam's Club long ago that I want to hang up in the patio. The bushes that could use some pruning. The zipper on the baseball bag that has been broken for a year. The basement closets that haven't been touched in years. Things that we say we'll get to and never quite do.

So, I'm coming up with a list: "Looking for Something to Do?" On it, I'm placing the tasks I keep putting off. The big ones might take some time. Even the little ones might take some time. But at least when I'm wondering what I should do with a free afternoon, I can look to the list for some ideas.

The first task for the checklist is creating the checklist. Hopefully, I don't put that off until next year ...

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