Returning Home With Ease

Cottage Garden by Henry Sutton Palmer, English, 1834-1953

Before we departed on our 11 day road trip, I planned our return so that it could be done with a minimal amount of cutter. Our bags therefore were carried directly into a room out of sight, so that I could put things away the next day without making a major mess all over the place.

Another thing that I did before we left, was to make sure all trash was taken out, the trash containers washed and aired out and scented with essential oils, all the sinks and drains were sanitized and clean, the floors swept, all surfaces wiped with a damp cloth sprinkled with scented oil of my preference. Cotton balls with a little orange essential oil were placed inside closets and shelves. Lavender from the garden was placed on window sills, and there were eucalyptus branches in the far corners of all the rooms. I emptied the refrigerator so that food would not have a chance to spoil over a long period of time.  I dreaded coming home to a house that had not been opened for 11 days, but was relieved at the fresh scented house. 

The beds were all made, and the bathroom looked like it was prepared for guests, with new toothbrushes, soap, towels, shampoo, line-dried crispy clean terry towels folded on the edge of the tub,  as well as a clean set of sleepwear hanging on the door. This was such a pleasant thing, since I came home at one o'clock in the morning with a bit of a headache and was loathe to dig around in a bag for all those things.  My plan was to make the house an inn for weary travelers and I was certainly glad I went to the extra trouble before leaving.  I felt as though we were arriving in a vacation home after our road trip.

Because this plan was set into place, it has taken me very little time to get unpacked and back into the business of home.

Going over all those passes in the dark and in the rain or snow, made even the most daunting plans and tasks at home seem light, so when we arrived home, our pressing responsibilities seemed less formidable.  No longer did I dread doing something that I had been putting off, because all I had to do was think of driving through a pass, and then I was happy that all I had to do was clean up a hoarder's mess in the laundry room. 

In my next video I hope to share with you some delightful things I learned while away from home.

Thank you Roxy in Colorado and Amy and Bob in Idaho for inviting us into your homes. Thank you to all of you for praying for us, especially me, who was always hanging on the the door on the passenger side when I was not driving.  Once, I told Mr. S. that the reason I never accompanied him on his yearly trips across the desert, is that he and his brother usually drive the speed limit, which is 90 mph in some long stretches.  I told him while riding with him that I wish he would slow down; that it seemed like he was doing 75 mph, but he said, "My dear, I wish you would not make false accusations against me.  I'm NOT going 75! I'm going 90."

Lydia