It was one of the first nice spring days in Columbus. I spent the afternoon with my duplex neighbor in our basement cellar, cleaning up rat shit. A mess from a not so recent infestation. We swept the entire floor – half of it stone and the other half dirt. The brooms collected left behinds from past tenants, scrap from maintenance men, dirt from heavy rains, and poop and jawbones from non-rat critters. We also reorganized the cellar putting his things on his side and my things on my side. We had a bluetooth speaker and my neighbor’s EDM playlist “Presence” accompany us.
I then drove up to my parents house where they, my sister, brother in-law, and their dog all live together – for our monthly family dinner. We walked around the yard to survey what plants were coming out of the ground and which were budding. They grilled pork kabobs and made a side of white rice. I brought a massaged kale salad. At the table we decided to go on a family vacation together for the first time in ten years. We’re going to Acadia National Park in late May, around my birthday. I’m happy for us. I had a really nice day.