6 / NOVEMBER 2021 PRIME
We Have All Summer By Lois Stephens
P
eople differ in their work habits. Some of us like to roll up our sleeves and get the job done as soon as possible. Perhaps we make lists to assist and remind us of what all we must accomplish, how quickly these tasks need to be completed, and we then plan accordingly. We make sure we allow plenty of time to finish up whatever chores or projects lie ahead of us, and then we breathe a sigh of satisfaction whenever these jobs, be they large or small, are finished, particularly when they are done in a timely manner, without rushing or stressing ourselves overly much. After all, another
project may rear its head and we now have time to accomplish that task as well and with a minimum of stress. Others of us like to procrastinate. We figure there is plenty of time to finish up what needs finishing, and instead of doing a little bit each day or tackling the job head on, we instead watch TV, relax, and figure that tomorrow is another day. Suddenly that job needs done this week, and we work frantically to make the deadline. My husband and I are these two opposites in our work habits. I like to get the job done. In the spring, I take stock of what need doing before
winter arrives, so I start in May to replenish the woodpile, perhaps stain the cabin, and begin work on whatever projects face us that summer. My husband likes to kick back and relax, preferring to work fast and furious when the snow flies and he is facing an immediate deadline. This might work out as long as one person, (me for example) has patience (I don’t) and trust (I don’t) that the job will get completed on time. His favorite saying is “We have all summer.” This drives me mad with frustration. For example, when we first moved here, we needed to enclose the well house and
the pressure tank. Of course, it was late September when he finally started that job and we worked frantically to beat the cold weather and get the place sheltered. It needed insulation, which didn’t happen that year, and it didn’t happen the next year either, thanks to the fact that we had all summer to get these pesky tasks done, and as a result the job remained unfinished. That meant I had to check the well house twice daily in cold weather and start a propane heater for an hour or so if required to keep the place above freezing. This went on for two winters. The third winter I broke my
