Cassy's Corner- Lists

The fall has begun to creep into New England. There are reports that snow might fall in the north area today or tomorrow. We have rain in Connecticut. But, it comes in some years slowly, others faster than I can anticipate. And there are the years that there is no predicting anything. Like the year our pipes froze in early November yet it we sat on the terrace in shorts a week later.

I love the fall. It feels like the beginning of the year to me, rather than the end. I love the colors, the smells, the crunch of the leaves under foot. I love that it’s when I used to start a new school year. I loved that, as a kid, the events started—Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Now as an adult—a wife, a mom, and a daughter, the holidays are a tad more complicated. Yet, I can’t imagine the year without them.

With the change in season also comes my lists and my “duties.” I’ll start with the duties because they are the least interesting. From the time my children were mere tots, somehow Labor Day Weekend was the “sort, file, clean and get-ready” weekend. I put every little toy part back in its box, took millions of tiny pieces of something and found a home with all the other millions of tiny pieces. I filled bags of clothes I loved to see the girls in but of course were now three sizes too small. I still hope there is someone out there enjoying those outfits.  It went on. It went on long enough that inevitably my back went into spasm and twice I ended up in the hospital with disk injury. Okay. So be it. Days long gone. Fast forward.

Lists. That’s today’s topic. I’ve discovered over the last few years that lists are the salvation. They are the solution to every problem that could possibly occur. There is nothing you can't solve with a list. And, they are the answer to my fall season. The only challenge is maintaining them so they are accurate so when you can’t remember what you’ve already done, it's there.

So, my list for this week- this is excepting writing, managing my desk and dealing with life in general, is:

-       Call to have the estimate on a generator installed (we were without anything that runs a house for 10 days, including water);

-       Have the electrician change three boxes to new plugs along with surge protectors so our security system no longer locks us out and sets off the alarm;

-       Shut off and drain all of the outside faucets- that was a major problem one year when the pipes burst.

-       Have the septic system pumped before frost;

-       Have the water filtration system cleaned and replenished;

-       General fall clean-up;

-       Cover the terrace furniture;;

-       Move the rose bushes to the garage;

-       And…..

You get the picture. The list is longer but I dare not bore you more. I huff and I puff but I can’t blow the house down. Then, I got thinking once more.

Isn’t this what we do all the time? When you are writing your story, even those of you who are pansters, don’t you start with lists? How can we get from one plot idea to the next without some kind of list?

Do you have lists you keep? What are they?