Mother Nature called my bluff. Now I don’t know what to do.
It didn’t even seem like that big of a deal at the time. The wire in our electric dog fence started acting up, and one of our dogs slipped through because it wasn’t working right. I know exactly where the wire is mangled, since I cut it myself with the edger a few summers ago.
But it was cold at the time of the great escape, and I knew I couldn’t dig up the yard and splice in a new wire. So those handy words came out of my mouth: “I guess I’ll work on it when we get a nice weekend.”
No one in my house questioned me on it. When it comes to people like me who think for a living, people accept you won’t do your best manual labor outside when it’s cold.
I thought I’d bought myself a few months. After all, it’s not unusual for it to still be chilly in Ohio deep into April.
Little did I expect that we’d see back-to-back days of above 60 degrees this weekend.
Well played, Mother Nature. Well played.
Now I find myself going back through a winter’s laundry list of empty promises. Did I really say I’d replace the front-porch light? How long did I promise I’d pitch batting practice? Did I really say I’d take my oldest daughter out for a driving lesson? When did I say I’d clean the grill and its grates? What other crazy promises did I make?
Ohio winters are usually sneakier. These nice days usually pop up in the middle of a week, when no working man would be expected to keep all of his promises. When it’s unexpectedly nice on a Wednesday, maybe you cross one job off the wintertime honey-do list once you return home from work.
But no, we have back-to-back days of comfortable weather and 11 hours of daylight to accomplish this unexpected list of tasks, just like the other men who meant what they said but didn’t mean it quite so soon.
My best hope is my better half has a fit of cabin fever and decides it’s time for the family to do something together outside. Then I’ll be back to my excuses, saying how I would’ve had time to finish that task if it weren’t for the family hiking trip or visit to some historic site.
Until then, if you’re looking for me, I suspect I’ll be outside my house, trying to honor my promises, even if they are due two months sooner than I ever could have expected.
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