Minor Annoyances

There was a dead baby bat floating in the pool this morning.  

It's not unusual for us to find fallen beasties there; birds capture prey and are often unable to transport them back to their nests.  We find tiny mice and ground squirrels, not often, but more than rarely. That's why I'm filing them under Minor Annoyances.

I had my shoes on, so I could walk across the gravel and retrieve the pool skimmer.  There was another Minor Annoyance. I secured the skimmer behind the equipment wall before we went to the Midwest last month.  I usually go barefoot on my fabulous deck surface; it's never too hot or too cold or too slippery or to scratchy.... it's just right. But bare feet do not mix well with natural desert surfaces, and there was a lot of natural desert surface between the deck and the skimmer.  The pool sat, unskimmed, swimmable but somewhat leafy, until this morning, when I removed one Minor Annoyance from the list.

*****

I sat at my desk to type this, and my eyes fell on another Minor Annoyance.  The Assistant Principal sent me a spreadsheet.  I printed it out and deleted the email.  Now, I want to add to the information I already have, but the electronic version is gone.  I could ask for another (embarrassing) or I could retype the whole damn thing.  I could prevail upon Big Cuter to do this for me, but he's done it for me twice before and (embarrassing) I can't find either of them.  Idiot Work, Daddooooo called it, and Idiot Work it will be this afternoon when I retype that which annoys me.

Minor problems, but there, nonetheless.

*****

I have six beautiful mailing boxes to my right, on my desk.  They are pristine, elegant in their simplicity, and totally useless to me.  Yet, I cannot bring myself to throw them away.  Like MOTG, I am a hoarder of containers which may, someday, be useful.  I know that I will want them the moment I deconstruct them and recycle them, which is why they have sat on the desk for a month.  

I can feel Little Cuter rolling her eyes right now, wondering how I can work in such a cluttered environment, perplexed as to why I don't just get rid of them and the nagging they cause at the back of my brain.  I can't explain it.  It's a Minor Annoyance.

*****

And why am I concentrating on such nonsense?  Perhaps because someone I love posted something I hate on Facebook and I don't know what to do about it.  Ignore?  Educate?  Writhe in angst?  

Honestly, denizens, focusing on the Minor Annoyances is all that's keeping me sane right now.