One thing that I'm not especially enjoying about Grampy's visit is that he likes to keep checking up on me to see that I'm doing what he thinks I should be doing. I'm pretty used to doing my own thing at my own pace and have managed quite well for years but now I find myself supervised and bossed and hassled just a little bit.Things that have had to be done right now:
- check the mail
- take out the trash
- cut the grass
- trim the edges
- blow the clippings off the sidewalk and driveway
- get to the store for more milk, pop, yogurt, etc.
- get the laundry out of the dryer and folded and put away the moment the buzzer goes off
He really doesn't have much else to do here except make sure that I'm getting things done in a timely manner and he doesn't appreciate me working in short productive spurts interspersed by an hour or two of goofing off (which is my preferred modus operandi). He likes me to have a steady work schedule. He also likes me to get everything done according to his standards. If I sit down to read or watch TV, well, he's noticed that a few more pine needles have fallen off the tree onto the lawn and are, at this very moment, just ruining the look of the house.
And then he'll notice that I've been running around the house all day and I really ought to sit down in the chair next to him and rest for a minute. He likes to have chats throughout the day. Which is fine, as long as I'm choosing the chat topics. If you know what I mean.
I would never in a million years tell him to knock it off. I know he's staying only a short while, I know he can't change his mind about the way things ought to be after having it made up for 84 years, and most importantly, I think it's probably a really nice change for him to be the bosser instead of the bossed. Grampy will tell you himself that Gram was the pusher of the family.
But I'm starting to have disturbing glimpses of what might happen when my darling Mr. Dub retires from his career and begins hanging around the house watching me, supervising me, and offering up better solutions and ideas for me to do my work better, faster, more efficiently.
People sometimes forget that in this house, I'm the queen.
And that's bugging me just ever so slightly today. But please please please, none of you say anything to him about it! I'm just letting off a little steam.
Not a word. ;)
ReplyDeletehow funny. I love that guy.
ReplyDeleteYou should probably start bossing around Mr. Dub now, so he has time to get used to it. You guys are getting to be that age.
ReplyDeleteYour relationship with Grampy is very different from that with Mr Dub. I'm quite sure you will have no trouble letting him know that you are quite content with your own schedule and don't need any adjustments to it -- and in fact have managed to keep your home together all these years quite nicely, thank you. But in the event you are dithering about what to do next or how to do it, you will surely ask his wisdom on the subject-- and enlist his help.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head about wanting to feel like a mover/shaker instead of just the moved/shaken. I think the keyword is "useful", maybe "needed".