In many respects today was like many Mondays. I took trash out. I went to a fitness class at my gym. I drove to work and ate a brown bag lunch. I dealt with a minor emergency or two at my desk. Then around mid-afternoon I got a call from Michelle.
Lice - Do you remember the little get together Claire had with her three closest friends? Well, it turns out that two of them were diagnosed today as dealing with lice. My instructions: stop by a pharmacy and pick up plenty of treatment just as a precautionary measure. When I got home I could see that the boys got fresh short haircuts from Michelle. I sat down for one as well. Michelle and I cleaned and disinfected bedding and hair accessories. Finally we got our hair washed with that special shampoo. We don't think that we saw anything that should cause concern, but were simply taking the advise of the nurse at our local family practice to act preemptively.
Trim work - On the bright side the same guys who did our exterior house trim work last week came back today to work on a special interior carpentry project. Michelle and my folks had discussed this on and off for the past couple of years. Many of the transitions between the first floor rooms are seamless. The walls are simply cut out with no trim or molding along the edges. Some may like that look as a "clean" look, but Michelle thought it would look nicer with some contrasting trim work to outline the passageways.
When I got home today, I was so concerned with how late it was and what we needed to do about the lice situation, I barely noticed the carpentry work. I think it looks nice. Tomorrow they come back for a little while to put a second coat of paint on the new woodwork.
Cookies - Even though Christmas is fast approaching, it's a good thing there are still plenty of opportunities to go to the gym. My sister Suzy sent a large tin of Maurice Lenell cookies. Our neighbors brought over another plate of home baked cookies. Michelle and the girls will bake their own batch soon. Did I mention that we all went to a Christmas party (filled with more holiday treats) the afternoon before going to the company holiday party? There are so many ways to satisfy a sweet tooth at this time of the year! It's no wonder every gym I've belonged to always has a surge in member activity in the first half of January. Perhaps we take a bit too much of a cue from our hibernating mammal counterparts and pack some extra calories to get us through the winter?