By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher
Celebrating my Christmas haul – before Mr. Kaminski gets home!
Every once in a blue moon, Mr. Kaminski is gone for a couple of days on business trips. Now, of course, I proclaim that I am going to miss him dreadfully, and that I’ll likely just cry myself to sleep every night. It’s these little embellishments that keep a marriage strong.
Cold hard truth is, I get things done – a LOT of things done. A few months ago, when Mr. Kaminski was MIA, I procured a 40-yard dumpster. It was deposited in my driveway for five days, and baby boy and I got to work. We cleaned out 20+ years of garage mayhem and madness, along with some way past their prime outdoor items and my office. When Mr. Kaminski arrived back home and saw the over the top, completely full receptacle, I just knew he would go in – dumpster diving at his finest. He never uttered a syllable. I did, however, ask him to go outside and close the dumpster door one evening, and when he cautiously peered inside, he paled.
“I got rid of everything we don’t need,” I informed him. “Work really hard to stay relevant.”
Again, silence.
Just last week another grand opportunity presented itself. Mr. Kaminski had a two-day business trip, which was just enough time for me to tackle a project. And best of all, he wasn’t coming home to Fort Bend for four days, rather he and I were meeting in the Hill Country. That spelled both time and opportunity.
Carpe diem was my mantra as I tackled the hustle and bustle of the holidays – in mid- November! Now my particular hustle and bustle included Neiman’s with Cousin Susie, the amazing Camille, new friends Betsy and Pam, copious amounts of Veuve and daily visits from the Amazon and Fed Ex guys. They’re super nice.
Upon Mr. Kaminski’s arrival, I decided it would be best to give him a little heads up, as our dining room table and floor were completely covered with bags and boxes.
“Now when we get home, you’ll notice that I tackled yet another much needed to be accomplished project,” I casually mentioned. The side eye he gave me was overly exaggerated.
“What did you do?” he queried, as my proclamations of this nature tend to make him nervous – and a bit queasy at times.
“I simply tackled the entire holiday season and am firmly in the red zone,” I replied.
Not one for football euphemisms, he quietly requested more information.
“Cousin Susie and I…”
“Enough said,” he interrupted.
When we arrived at home, he casually glanced at the Christmas carnage, and again, never uttered a syllable. And when he tripped over packages on the porch for a few days, he simply brought them in the house and added them to the mine field. A couple of days later, he even helped me divide and conquer by packing up the holiday haul for our trek West.
I’m not really sure what to think about his tranquil temperament, but I’m going with the tried and true adage, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” An early Christmas gift much appreciated! See y’all next week – on the porch – and ho, ho, hugs!
Patti Parish-Kaminski
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