this summer morning...

This summer morning I woke up with a start to a car alarm going off.  Is it mine?  Did someone try to break into my car?!  In a flash I was up, out of bed and throwing on a sweatshirt.  And then I stopped.  The sound wasn't coming in the direction of my car (the picture linked isn't my car but it could be it's identical twin), I didn't think.  I listened more closely and really didn't think it was coming from the direction of my car at all.  And, then while I was listening it stopped.  Many normal people would have gotten back into bed at this point, but I started to convince myself again that what if it was my car?  What if?  And since I was up I might as well go check it out.  Well, my car was safe and sound but now I was definitely awake for the day.  Darn it!  It had been my plan to sleep till at least 11:30 because I needed to kill time before I could take a shower.  Our tub had just been re-caulked and it needed to fully dry before we could shower in it.  So, I grabbed some all purpose cleaner (personally, I think my roommate just bought it because it's pink) and headed back out to my car and tackled the years of grime that has built up on the steering wheel and has since been transfered all over the car.  I couldn't get it all off with the environmentally friendly cleaner I had to work with, but it is much improved.  And still, with more time to kill I decided to wash my car.  I've got a good bucket method worked out 'cause we lack a hose - water dumped on first, then soaped with a squishy sponge and that tends to dry before I can get back with a wet towel and then dry towel to finish it all off.  Lastly, I did my hubcaps.  Boy did they need it!  I'd forgotten they were actually silver and not matt-black.  Now my car sparkles and it was in more of a need of a shower than before.  A quick breakfast of apples and pepper jack cheese later I finally got my shower.  And now... I'm sitting in front of the big open window at our new cutesy "bistro" set and listening to someone playing beautiful piano music upstairs.  Enjoying the fresh air and the feeling of getting something done and earning my time to relax.  In a few moments I should go brush my hair out and make a grocery shopping list, but for now I'll just sit here and take is this summer morning.