Summertime, and the Livin' is...Easy?

Summertime at the Stress Pool isn't usually as stressful as the rest of the year. Most of the time we're catching up on rest that has eluded us during the school year, and completing projects one would do if one didn't have to go to work! Like, completely taking a room apart to clean it. (Yes, I can think of one hundred other things I'd rather do, but some things can't be ignored any longer! The dust bunnies are having babies, and you know how prolific bunnies are...)
A typical day starts after sleeping nine to ten hours, something that never happens during the school year!. What a luxury! Then, after getting up and making the bed (which I will have completely destroyed - twisted covers, pillows all over the place), I make my way to the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee. DH usually makes the coffee, but since he's still going in at the usual Crack of Doom, the pot would have already turned itself off by the time I crawl down the steps! Then, of course, there is the Feeding of the Beast, A.K.A. Mandy, the Tabby Cat.
She's unassuming, yet demanding. Patiently, she waits at the bottom of the steps for the door to open, her green eyes watching as I descend. I open the container where the dry food is kept, and she watches every movement as kibbles clatter into the bowl. With satisfaction, she waits until the water bowl has been rinsed and refilled. Then, I say, "Shall we go up?" Her feet hit the steps and she races me to the top. For a fourteen year old cat, she moves pretty well, and always beats me -what can I say?
I have to open the back door in order that she can view "Kitty T.V." This is where she sits and watches wildlife through the glass storm door, but not without Greenies, her favorite treat. Crack for Cats. I call it her morning coffee. She's also fairly astute. During the school year, when I come downstairs in my dress clothes, she saunters off down to the family room, knowing I'm on my way out. Now, in my bathrobe, she's thrilled. She knows the door will be open most of the day for her to sit by the window. Interestingly, there is a gray squirrel that comes to the door in search of her, merely for the joy of watching Mandy leap up and scratch at the glass. He (or she, I certainly don't know the difference, and I'm not getting close enough to find out!) moves off in an unhurried fashion. Sometimes she misses the squirrel altogether, and more than once I've watched him lope off in disappointment. Yes, he really does look dejected as he moves away from the door.
I scratch her behind the ears and head into the kitchen. By now, my own coffee is ready.
Ahh, the first taste of hot coffee - Nectar of the gods. I settle into my favorite chair and watch what's left of the Today show, check my phone to see if I've missed any messages, consult the calendar for events I'm sure to forget about. After all, isn't that what vacation is for, scheduling events such as doctor appointments, haircuts, and so on?
The Beast eventually makes her way into the living room, either settling down on a discarded empty tote bag under the piano bench, or kneading the pillow she's adopted as hers, while creepily staring at me...Everyone is happy.
Oh, don't get me wrong - the stress is still there, but there's more time to deal with it, like paying Mima's bills while she's in Senior Prison. That's an entirely different story! Morticia is in her second term at mortuary school. Ms. Business has found a summer job that she'll be able to keep once school is back in session. Big Brother still works full-time and takes evening classes for an MBA, while DiDi goes to school and takes care of the Beagle puppy, Charlie. Moink is preparing for a trip to the Continent - Germany, to be exact. I"ve been given the go ahead to convert the unused family room into an art studio! (This may upset the Beast - I'll have to keep her in mind as things get moved around.) This, among doing some writing, is my summer project, and what I will probably think of as my own, personal wading pool. (Although, I will be sharing the space  with Ms. Business, whose name may change to Ms. Artist as she changes from a business major to...stay tuned!)
Summertime. A time to dream, a time to relax, a time to heal from the wounds of stress from the rest of the year. Join me on the patio - crack open a wine cooler, let's get a fire going in the pit, and make a toast to a well-deserved summer rest here at the Stress Pool.
Til next time...