R&R at the Lake Cabin

BEFORE I LEAVE

• Plan a menu and grocery list for the weekend
• Grocery shop
• Go to strip (my town’s archaic alcohol purchasing option)
• Make sure all of the lake laundry is washed, dried, folded and packed
• Pack dog food, dog treats, dog blankets, dog brushes
• Pack clothes for the lake
• Pack books, journal, magazines
• Pack laptop
• Remember camera
• Pick up movies at video store
• Gas up car
• Load car
• Pack up groceries, making sure to pack refrigerated and frozen items in cooler the final thing
• Load dogs into car (easy job – they know where we are going and can’t wait to jump in the car, as opposed to when they are going to groomer or vet – how do they know?)
• Make the one hour trip to the lake making sure to stop at Lakeway Liquor Store on the way to buy lottery ticket (I will win one day!)
• When I drive down the escarpment leave all of my “cares and woes” behind me
• Arrive at lake house

LAKE – DAY ONE (Friday evening if I’m lucky)

• Walk dogs for potty break – dogs must stay on leashes during rattlesnake season
• Open all window blinds to begin enjoying the beautiful view right away
• Unload car
• Put away groceries
• Turn on water at the water meter
• Light the propane gas water heater
• Turn on air conditioners or heaters depending on season
• Make beds with clean bed linens
• Put out clean bath towels and kitchen towels
• Put away lake clothes
• Open a beer
• Sweep away spider webs and dust from front and back porch and deck
• Spray wasp nests, if any
• Arrange deck furniture
• Open another beer
• Water plants/yard/trees
• Hang hammock
• Decide what to have for dinner
• Make beverage transition from beer to wine
• Make dinner
• Eat dinner
• Wash dishes (no dishwasher)
• Make coffee so it is ready to turn on in the morning
• Sit on deck and enjoy the view while simultaneously trying to keep dogs from chasing rabbits
• Stay on deck enjoying the view and drinking wine until it is too dark to see anything except the stars and moon
• Fall asleep on the couch while watching a movie

DAY TWO (Saturday, if I’m lucky)

• Get up early to take dogs out and then stay up (even though I’ve sworn to myself I will sleep late) because the early morning view of the lake is just too spectacular to sleep through.
• Turn on coffee pot
• Stand at back window looking at lake until coffee is ready
• Drink coffee on back deck overlooking lake
• Write for about an hour
• Read for a while
• Make breakfast (we are big eaters at the lake) or go to Marina and eat breakfast burritos and catch up on the local gossip
• Put leashes on dogs and take them for a walk
• Visit with neighbors and catch up on the local gossip
• Make lunch or go to the Marina for the best cheeseburger in the world
• Take book to hammock and fall asleep while reading
• Wake up when the sun hits me in the face
• Open beer
• Walk dogs again
• Open beer
• Decide what to have for dinner
• Open bottle of wine
• Fix dinner
• Eat dinner on the deck
• Wash dishes
• Sit on deck drinking wine until it is too dark to see anything except the stars and the moon
• Fall asleep on couch while watching either Saturday Night Live or a movie

DAY THREE (Sunday, if I’m lucky)

• Get up early to take dogs out and then stay up (even though I’ve sworn to myself that today I really will sleep late) because the early morning view of the lake is just too spectacular to sleep through
• Make coffee because I forgot to do it the night before
• Drink coffee on the deck while making a list of the things I really need to get done around the place before I have to go home this afternoon
• Make breakfast
• Eat breakfast on the deck
• Wash dishes
• Watch the Sunday Morning television show
• Sit on the deck – read, write, watch the lake
• Make lunch
• Eat lunch
• Wash dishes
• Open final “lake beer”
• Walk the dogs
• Visit with neighbors
• Sit on deck and wish I didn’t have to go home
• Have one more final “lake beer”
• Accept the fact that I have to go home
• Feel guilty because I didn't do one single thing on the list I made for myself in the morning
• Take down and put away hammock
• Strip sheets from bed/beds gather up dirty towels
• Clean bathroom
• Dust
• Vacuum
• Clean kitchen
• Wipe dog nose prints off of windows
• Pack up leftover food
• Clean out refrigerator
• Load car
• Take dogs for pre-trip potty break
• Turn off water heater, air conditioners or heaters, and lights
• Turn off water at the meter
• If it is winter put anti-freeze in the toilet
• Position deck furniture so it won’t blow away during strong winds
• Close blinds
• Forcibly put dogs in car (they don’t want to leave either)
• Lock doors
• Make the one hour drive back home

ARRIVE HOME

• Put dogs in backyard to pout
• Unload car
• Put away groceries
• Start washing sheets, towels, clothes for next trip to the lake
• Get mail and newspaper from nice neighbor
• Try to hang on to the “lake feeling” for just a little while before thoughts of going back to work on Monday morning begin to plague me

* Other things we do at the lake: cruise around in our circa 1971 boat, take long exploring walks, drive through the countryside exploring small towns, sit on the dock and pray for rain to fill the lake enough to actually have water around our dock, tend our cactus garden, mow the expanse of meadow between deck and lake on riding lawnmower, make minor and major repairs to house, have cookouts with our great lake friends, drive around at night with a spotlight and look for deer, light a fire in the chimenea, light a fire in the fire pit, bird watch, cloud watch, watch the turkey vulture ballet (awesome circling and swooping – looks choreographed), archery (husband gave me a bow, arrows and a target for Christmas one year), use the metal detector, put together jigsaw puzzles and whatever the hell else we feel like.