I’m sitting here, sleepy, but can’t go to slumberville ’til the laundry‘s done. Yep, I do laundry on Saturday night. (My life truly is fascinating.) Waiting for the last load to dry, my fingers are itching to type, though, I’ve already posted one blog entry today. (It was really boring. You don’t want to read it. Has a poll. Really dorky.)

Anyhow, I was thinking about how much I hate doing laundry but love having clean clothes and just could not stop myself from sharing my thoughts on love/hate relationships. So, in no particular order, with the loves on the left and the hates on the right (don’t want you to start thinking I like cleaning), here goes …

1. Cooking/Cleaning Up the Kitchen

I really enjoy the process of cooking, especially when I have plenty of time and there are people around who enjoy a good meal. Scrubbing pots and pans, cleaning up the kitchen … Yuck!

2. A Clean House/Cleaning the House

There is something so comforting about a clean house. The fresh smell. Everything in order. Pure bliss. All the time and energy it takes to get it, not to mention keeping it, clean just wears me out. Lugging the vacuum up and down the stairs is the worst. If I ever won the lottery, the first thing I’d do is hire a cleaning service.

3. Anything Chocolate/The Calories in Chocolate

I don’t know who first discovered chocolate or making chocolate but that person deserves sainthood in my book. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate covered anything — yum!  Gaining weight from all those calories in chocolate. Not so yum.

4. Driving/Traffic

I’ve been driving with a stick shift for almost 40 years. it makes driving more fun regardless of the kind of vehicle. A dump truck with a stick shift would be fun to drive. Traffic, however, is the armpit of driving. It’s smelly and obnoxious and, sometimes, hair-raising!

5. Getting Paid/Working

Money, money, money, money, money. Who doesn’t like having money? I don’t need a lot. Just enough to pay the bills and buy books and chocolate but, through some weirdly crooked twist of fate, I was not born into wealth. (Maybe I squandered money in a past life and this life is teaching me a lesson. Nah!) It’s not the working I dislike. I enjoy the work that I do. It’s the getting there that makes me bonkers — an hour-long commute is way too much traffic for me. I am thankful, though, that I have a job, especially one that I like.

6. Sunrises/Waking Up Early

A fresh new day. The first glimmer of light over the horizon. Looking out at God‘s beautiful creation with renewed vision each morning. On the flip side — the alarm clock, cleaning the litter box, commuting to work. Yuck!

7. Flower Gardening/Pulling Weeds

Roses, columbines, peonies, lilacs, hydrangea, lilies, iris, and a gazillion other blooming bits of beauty. Then there’s the crawling around on hands and knees yanking out the wildlings that threaten to strangle those beautiful buds. Did I mention the worms. Creepy!

8. Reading Books/The Cost of a Home Library

Literature, pop fiction, science fiction, fantasy, chick lit, the list goes on and on and I love them all.  You can find used books for pennies (well, quarters) all over the place. But if you’re like me, and have shelves full of books that have become old friends, it can be a budget buster. But, worth every penny!

9. Rainy Days/ Getting Rained On

My favorite day of the year is the first rainy Saturday in the Fall. I spend the whole day curled up in a big chair reading. It’s heaven on earth. Going out on a dark rainy day, however, is just asking for frizzy hair and drippy makeup. So, why can’t I remember that umbrella?

10. Cats/ Cleaning the Litter Box

Purring, softest fur, squeaky little meows – Emmie and Ollie! Why do they have to poop so much? You’d think once a day each would be enough. But, no, not these cats! And, always while I’m sitting here at my MAC with the cat box just around the corner in the powder room — a scant 10 feet away. And, why does Emmie always jump up on my desk right after doing her business?  Stinky!!

So, that’s my list. What’s on yours?