The Countdown is On

I'm about to embark on family visit mania.

One of the highlights of living in a summer paradise is the family likes to come visit. All of my adult years, I've lived somewhere other people want to visit and up here, it's fun to gain a fresh perspective on my quaint little town.

So often, it's easy to dwell on the day-to-day minutia of it and forget to look around and appreciate what I have.

But, when the family comes, I'm offered the opportunity to be thankful for living near the beach, having a yard that's easy to hang out in, having a house and enough air mattresses to throw big slumber parties and just generally living in a completely beautiful place.

While all that is great, there is a problem. I am in no way shape or form ready to have these guests! I have a list a mile long -- the above is just a sample -- of things I want done before they arrive. Plus, most of them haven't visited for quite some time and there isn't much different since they saw the house last.

A couple of months ago, when the visit talk started, I thought to impress everyone with how much progress I'd made since the last time they were here. I thought to wow with my home improvement prowess, sending everyone back downstate with awe for what a little Debbie Domestic I've become.

Now, I'll be lucky if it's clean!

But, my family is very low key, and I know they won't judge me ... at least not to my face. But tomorrow I must get started on some of the things on my list. I probably won't get to all of them, but I can try.

My dad will be the first visitor, and he's coming solo so it'll start out slow. I have a project planned to complete with him, probably on Saturday.

When I was little, my dad used to make the best pickles. I was thinking of things I wanted to do for this site, and I asked if he'd be interested in making pickles with me. He doesn't have the same recipe, but I figure the Web is sure to deliver something we can use.

I'm actually pretty excited about the shopping. I've always loved Mason jars.

Anyway, that's the plan. But first, I must clean up. All of the working on the yard has turned the inside of the house into a sty. Wish me luck. I've certainly got my work cut out for me.