It's all about routines

Now that the hurricane has passed and electricity and cable have been fully restored, it seems like a good time for a little reflection.

 This is a story about routines. Those day-to-day habits we develop without a second thought.

Here’s a partial description of my old--or usual--routine:

Get up on my own at about 6:30 A.M.  

Take shower, brush teeth, shave if I’m going somewhere.

Put in eye drops get dressed & go downstairs.

Pour coffee which is already brewed and waiting for me.

Turn on some morning TV program—whichever one I can stand at any given time.

If it’s cold, get the fire going in the wood stove.

Wake up my computer and check emails and Facebook.

At about 7:15 pour Sandi’s coffee, get a cup of cereal and bring it up to her.

From that point on, depending on the plan,  the rest of the day unfolds as it has for a number of years.

Since Hurricane Sandy paid us a visit, here’s what my “New Routine” looked like for the past, mercifully over, 4 days:

Get up on my own at 6:30.

Put in eye drops and get dressed.

Pour remaining water from bucket into toilet to flush.

Go downstairs & get fire going.

Go on porch and light gas grill.

While grill is warming up, pour water from 5-gallon container into large pan.  Put pan on grill to warm up.

Pour cold coffee from Dunkin Donuts Box of Joe into saucepan and put on stove to warm.

Take three buckets that once held chlorine tablets and joint compound and fill with pool water for flushing toilets.

Try to log on to internet with iPad using AT&T cell service to see what’s going on.

If AT&T is up—which is a very big if—wait for data to load.  If it isn’t up, turn on portable radio and listen to KC101 for news.

By the time all of that is done, coffee and water are sufficiently hot and Sandi is up on her own.

Have coffee, listen to news, discuss what more needs to be done.  If power is on at Sandi’s office, she goes to work.

Use now hot water to clean up dishes left over from day before or morning use.

Go upstairs, pour water into 4 oz. Dixie cup, brush teeth.  Pour a little more water on face cloth and wash face.  Later on we go to son’s house where a generator will enable us to shower.

Use rest of water in bucket to flush.

Gather all buckets and refill from swimming pool. 

Check supply of propane in tank for gas grill.

Spend rest of day preparing to do it all over again.