I walked out on my computer on Friday and went to England and Australia for a change.

I knew this past weekend was going to be a busy one so on Friday afternoon as I headed off to the races I made a decision to have a computer free weekend.  I had a lot to accomplish and the lure of my keyboard would make my schedule tight if I was spending too much time on it instead the tasks I needed to accomplish.  It was amazing what I was able to accomplish over the weekend without my computer.  I’m not on my computer constantly but since I started my blog in January there has been a definite increase in my time spent on my computer.

Friday evening while I was at the races with my husband I thought “He has internet on his phone, I could just check my email and blog on that.”  “NO” , I told myself , ” This is a computer free weekend and that includes the phone!  No cheating.”  So I put down his phone and picked up the book I had brought with to read in between races and when I wasn’t doing that I visited with people at the track.

Saturday morning when I got up I got my coffee and headed straight for the computer.  “Not so fast, remember no computer this weekend.”  I changed my course and headed into the bathroom for my shower to get ready for the day.  But before I left the bathroom.  I cleaned it.  One thing done off my list.

Now for the second thing on my list.  That required a lot of time in the kitchen.  Sunday was my nephew’s graduation party and I promised my sister-in-law that I would make a double batch of my chicken salad that our family likes for the party.  I spent two hours in the kitchen preparing all the stuff for the salad and getting the various parts in the refrigerator so all I would have to do is mix it all together on Sunday before we headed to the party.  While I was in the kitchen I took a few minutes between different parts of the salad preparation and threw in a few loads of laundry which was my third thing on my list.

All around me I was surrounded by computers calling my name.  My husband was on his laptop in the livingroom.  My son was also on his laptop in the livingroom.  My daughter was in the sun porch on her computer working on homework for an online computer class and then when I went in the bedroom to put laundry away there was my computer sitting all alone in the corner just waiting for me.  Back to my list. 

My reward for not working on the computer this weekend was some time spent in a good book after a few things were off my list like my number 1 priority, the salad.  So I picked up my book “All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot” and my coffee and headed outside to my porch to read my book and watch it rain.  How relaxing and I started my vacation in the English countryside as depicted my James Herriot.  This was the fourth thing on my list and by far my favorite. 

Next it was off to my sister-in-laws to cut up fruit for the party for three hours which was task number 5.  We worked and talked together for three hours.  I hadn’t spent that much time visiting with her since our kids were young and played together on our beach when they were young.  Back then we had time for iced tea down by the lake while the kids played in the sand and swam.  Now all of our kids are grown and graduated except her youngest, a trailer five years behind the one who just graduated.  We live just 6 miles apart.  When did life get so busy?

When I got home around five I looked around the house and everyone was still busy on their computers and mine was still sitting in the corner in the bedroom looking forlorn.   I resisted the temptation and instead headed down into the basement where we are finishing a family room and my sewing room.  I had plenty of painting to keep me busy. I put the movie “Australia” in the DVD and took out my painting supplies and started painting the family room, then my sewing room and finally the walls as you go down the steps to the basement.  Six hours later and sore arms and legs,  I had a lot of painting done but the job is not quite finished.  I think I have another 3-4 hours to complete the task before I can start on the window trim and baseboard before we install it.  At least task number 6 was six hours closer to being done than it was before this weekend started.

Sunday morning I was up earlier for task number 7 which was to make some mixed nut bars for the graduation party before church and to put the finishing touches on the salad.  Off to church by 9:20 and sitting in church it was time for task number 8 but not at the time I had planned for it.  Task number 8 was to fit in a nap sometime this weekend.  I just didn’t plan on falling asleep in church and having my daughter keep elbowing me to keep me awake.  I wasn’t quite the restful nap I had desired.  So much for task 8, it was attempted but not completed satisfactorily.

Next it we were off to my sister-in-law’s for my nephew’s party.  I worked in the kitchen from one to six o’clock and visited with friends and relatives as they came to fill their plates.  It was the perfect place to be.  Close to the coffee pot and all the food.  The side benefit was I got to see everyone.  Task nine completed.

Now it was time for task ten.  I put on my pajamas when we got home after cleaning up from the party and I was in bed by nine with my book and it was back to England and a decent night’s sleep.  It’s Monday now and my computer doesn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects from my absence and the 33 messages in my email account were still there waiting this morning but this morning I am in a better place for having walked away from my computer on Friday.  I wonder where will I go next weekend?

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