There's no place like home

As I told a friend Friday night, I really, really wanted to run away from home on Saturday. Get in the car and drive, with a destination in mind but no plans for what to do when I got there. Free, with no timetable, no agenda, no demands.

Hmpf.

Not only did I wake up today before the crack of dawn, I woke up with that rarest of mindsets: The Just Do It. TJDI doesn't come around very often, but when it does, it's best to take advantage of it. Little tasks that have piled up over the last month are done in short order; larger tasks are begun and finished before you stop to consider the time investment. You move from task to task without a list, with no preplanned order.

In other words, I didn't go anywhere today, unless you count the grocery store.

Still, it's been a productive day, with the prospect of a restful evening ahead. Meatballs are simmering gently in a huge pot of sauce. Once they are done they will be refrigerated overnight, then parceled into individual serving size containers for freezing. A chuck roast has been briefly browned, placed on a bed of sweet onion in the crock pot and doused with a dry red wine. The roast will cook overnight, be refrigerated in the morning (what does it say about me that my refrigerator is so habitually empty that both the 5.5 quart crock pot insert and the 4 quart pan of meatballs will fit at the same time - with room to spare?), to be shredded, put in gravy and frozen for a card party this coming Friday.

Cooking isn't the only thing I've done today, but certainly the messiest; I've done dishes three times today.

I'm thinking the rest of the bottle of wine, plus the Swiss chocolate I picked up this morning are going to be dinner. Maybe one of the season's first honey crisp apples as well. There's a cheesy disaster movie to watch (Dante's Peak) and cryptic crosswords to enjoy.

Though if I do sit around and relax tonight, it will have to be under a quilt. The temperature tonight should dip below freezing; they are calling it a hard enough frost to end the growing season. Some areas of southeastern Wisconsin have seen snowflakes today. My furnace actually turned on early this morning, though just for a few minutes. Even I think it's too early for this.

Tomorrow (to mix movie metaphors) is another day, one that will be spent mostly away from home, as I've a commitment in the afternoon. After church I'll take myself to a coffee shop until it's time to go to the wedding.

I'm afraid if I do come home, I won't want to go out again.