Let’s call this the before shot. (I’m digging out this planter so I can add pea gravel.)

Deferred.

I get shutting down. I’ve certainly done it enough in my lifetime. Life gets too busy, or trauma sets in. Or you find yourself at an impasse, on an intractable side up against an equally unmoving mass. And it’s easier to shut down than to compromise. Put your head down, don’t think about it, move on.

It’s poor form in relationships (I’ve certainly been guilty of this far too many times. I have a brother, with a new baby, who hasn’t spoken to me in 3 years. We’re intractable.) and it’s poor form in home maintenance. A look around Chez Wonder, and it’s a wonder it’s still standing.

I think the stress of the bank last year, along with the pitiful monetary situation created the perfect climate for our utter abandonment of all things domestic. The reasoning, “We have no money anyhow,” while fiscally sound at the time, wasn’t a good long term solution. There are times when it doesn’t pay to skimp—last year was probably one of them.

The money situation isn’t better. Nor is the house. We still wait for answers and paperwork. But, entropy, by its very definition, is no homeowner’s friend. If you don’t keep up with these little chores, they become disaterpieces.

So, IZ and I have drafted a list. A list of things that must be done. I suspect part of impetus is the realization that September is encroaching. Creeping up on us, and with it comes a visit from IZ’s parents. Who have never lived in an “this old house” reality. And part of it that we can no longer ignore the unfinished. It’s screaming at us, “HEY YOU… remember us? The projects you started 4 years ago… AHEM!”

Of course, there is no way to pay for said list. But we’re not letting that stop us. A list is such a small weapon against the onslaught entropy has planned for us. Like lambs to the slaughter, you should pray for our souls. And our soles, because I have a feeling our lack of funds is going to mean being creative. And being creative always equals me on my feet with a shovel in hand.