A chore-filled summer holiday recap

And with that, another Homeland Holiday has ended. And, as always, I am left sad and heartbroken after leaving behind so many people who I love. But I am also hopeful and excited about the coming months of my life in Scotland.

This summer, my holiday was a 7-week visit to The Homeland. And despite all that time, the list of people I didn’t get to see is pretty long. However, the person I was really going to see and spend time with was Daddy, so that was an absolute success!

*Tiger is all settled into our childhood bedroom for the summer.*

I’m also pleased to say that I had great success at completing the chores that I was given (and those that I wasn’t asked to do). Indeed, the only project that didn’t get done was one that involved very specific bullnose tiles. And the only reason it didn’t get done is that, despite multiple attempts, we were unable to find the specific bullnose tiles. So, that is a task for another day.

But the list of things that we got done is quite long, and I feel very good about that. Some of the chores included harvesting cherries and making cherry juice; repairing the garage doors (which we originally made together 20 years ago); replacing tiles on the kitchen floor; refurbishing the doors on a 1940s Zenith radio and record player, originally owned by my paternal grandfather; arranging for tows and repairs for two of Dad’s vehicles; “negotiating” with Lowe’s and Samsung for the repair/replacement/refund of a refrigerator that was still under warranty (we had success in getting a refund, but loads of hassle and stress and a little laughter in getting a replacement).

*The new and improved Zenith. It still needs to be refinished, but it’s looking better.*

In between these “big” chores, there was lawn-mowing and weed-whacking; laundry and trash-taking-outing; and lots of tidying chores that led to lots of purging and treasure sorting. And shredding! So, so, so much shredding as we went through old boxes with old banking and tax documents – and various other paperwork and such.

Yes, I was a busy, busy, busy girl. But I do enjoy doing chores and sorting treasures, so I was in a happy place. Indeed, with four days left in my holidays, Daddy said “OK, it’s time to rest now; you’ve done enough”. And I said yes… then I did “just a bit more” because I really wanted to finish one of the projects and I just needed a little more time…

But it wasn’t all chores, chores, chores. There was a great deal of fun and laughter, too. (Although I really enjoyed the chores and feel they included a great deal of fun and laughter on their own.)

I had lunches and drinks with various friends from high school; I went to the movies with my youngest sister and my eldest sister’s two daughters; I went crab-hunting with my godson; I went on a great road trip with Daddy; and I went to a wedding for one of my sisters. I also found 22 geocaches and ran most days. I spent time with family and friends. And I enjoyed loads and loads of delicious meals that Dad (and others) cooked for me.

*Just Frances and Jennifer on a hike up Manashtash.*

Of course, I wasn’t on holiday for the whole seven weeks. I was also working a bit during my time away. Mostly research-based work, but I also did a lot of preparation work for teaching in the new trimester. But that’s not the “fun stuff”, so I won’t share more about that here.

Also, it must be said that the most important part of my Homeland Holiday was that I spent a lot of time with Daddy. And there is nothing better than spending time with your parents. That’s what holidays are for in my world!

*Just Frances and Daddy at Mt St Helens.*

Now that I’m home, I am missing my father; I am missing my family; and I am missing my friends. But I am already thinking about my next visit, which will be Christmas if all goes to plan!

Below are several photos from my holidays. For more galleries, check out the following holiday (or holiday-adjacent) posts: