The inauguration ceremonies lasted most of the day, and far into the night. Two days later, our new President seems to be settling in without many troublesome hitches, except for that misstep of the swearing in being broadcast to the world, and a hurried plea for modern equipment to be brought to his new office.

At least for now, he has things pretty much under control there, including getting the executive basket ball court backboard replaced. I can relax, knowing our 44th president is already fulfilling noted campaign promises to us.

If I could check off my to do list around here, as quickly and efficiently as he does, there wouldn't be nearly as many tasks to deal with, in this countdown mode. For almost a month I've counted days off, one by one, til this troublesome knee gets replaced. If good intentions counted even some, my house would be immaculate, with everything so clean, and in its perfect place.

But my Christmas tree still waits for its trek to the storage house out back, and I can't quite recall the last time I mopped the kitchen floor. I did vacuum the carpet before putting up the tree, but that was early December. The boxes of papers I began sorting? they're right where they were, not far from my new Yoga mat, yeah, that's right, in its still unopened box.

But this frantic countdown I'm feeling got me going, and today I surprised most everything in the fridge. Rearranged lots of it, and threw out older stuff.

Laundry is all caught up, and a quick swipe at dust here and there will suffice. My utmost goal in the morning will be to clean a bathroom very well, and put away all those pretty tree decorations I'm never in a hurry to set aside for another year. Sometimes, to lessen the shock of the house suddenly looking so stripped, and a little drab, I put away only parts of the decorations for a few days. I suppose that might seem nerdy, but I think it's out of balance, enjoying the beauty of Christmas for such a short time of the year.

There's a good supply of easy to fix meals in the freezer of the fridge, and healthy other foods. My bag I'll be taking with me will be easy to pack. I'm not big on makeup, and stuff like that. When I hit about sixty I decided, from now on, what you see is what you get, and we're not suppose to wear nail polish and perfume while in the hospital anyway. I considered using Multi-Faceted Shimmering Colour Loreal on my hair, but it doesn't quite seem worth the trouble, and in this economic crisis, I am not about to spend fifty dollars to pay someone to do it.

I've been working on being more positive. Paying closer attention to what I say and think. I usually begin my days with hopeful affirmations, and when I do sink back into negative habits, Philippians 4, over and over, if I need to, comes in handy. Listening to upbeat music helps, too, and having an appreciating heart.

Next thing I notice, I sometimes start humming. Not that I get it all right each and every time, but I can see an improvement in my attitude, and when it needs a little working, I try to get out of myself, by doing something for somebody else.

In my last post I mentioned a neighbor boy being so proud of getting a Bible. He hurried over to show it to me, and the next day I surprised his family with a children's Bible that's easier to read, a used one in good condition I got cheaply at a thrift store. I saw the kids again today outside, and the boy surprised me by calling out a big loud "Thank you for the Bible". Not that what I did was so big, I just thought it would help them learn more about Jesus, and I'm kind of convinced they don't get a lot of unexpected surprises. Almost always when we give of ourselves, instead of being so engrossed in Me, Me, Me, the good feeling that results may well be much bigger for us, than the receiver. I think I'll not bother myself about whether my house is in order before the surgery. Everything, from the presidency to my Christmas tree, is how it needs to be.