I get the garbage out just fine...but with me it's the windows getting washed....I find buying new blinds is a lot easier

My ex BF used to care about eating "real meals". So, when he was around, we cooked and ate. I actually enjoyed it, but now that he's gone, I'm back to "Amy's Organic" frozen meals, french fries & a chocolate shake from McDonald's, or pizza.

Frozen t.v. dinners at my house! LOL I cooked a pot of beef stew last weekend, and am still trying to finish it. I HATE leftovers, but had the urge to 'cook'. It's no fun cooking for one, so bologna, ham or peanut butter sandwiches, chips and a glass of milk is usual fare for me. I occasionally feel the need for some hot food, so I nuke a t.v. dinner. All food is consumed in the living room, in front of the t.v., which I almost NEVER did before. Meals as a family are very important to me, but I figure I am the 'family' now, so I eat where I please.

Oh, yes, no more nightly dinners together! In many ways this is fine. I didn't enjoy the pressure of having to get a meal on a table everynight after a 9 hour work day. Ex never helped and I had to keep shooing everyone out of the snack cupboard while I frantically put together a meal. I do miss cooking creatively and having a willing audience for my efforts.

good point about the meals....back when I was married it was "meat and potatoes" meals almost every night...no that I am living alone, I buy a lot of food from Schwans (and eating healthier), and cook from freezer to the oven or microwave during the workweek...when the weekend rolls around, I make it a point to make the nice big multiple entree on my outdoor grill

I love to cook, but what's the point of cooking for 1? Now days I often nuke a Stouffer's insta-meal and chase it down with a multi-vitamin.

I don't know how to relight the pilot light for the furnace in the attic. In fact, I've never been in the attic. Nights are getting cooler here and I'm about to learn.

It's not too tough to light, puddlejumper...I work on furnace and a/c for a living....an alligator clip on a stick with stick matches should make even the toughest pilot easier...good luck...i'll give you more info on it if you decide to tackle it

Thanks Tinmantu. I got it lit last night. Couldn't get the cover back on though. But that's ok, because it's time to change the filter.

I use the utility company's free service. They will come and check the unit over and light the pilot if needed. They also check to see if the furnace is spewing carbon monoxide.

Good for you, puddlejumper....If your utility company will do it for free, I highly recommend it....the gas company here charges 50 dollars, even if it's just to light the pilot...try to get the cover on there solidly, after you get the filter changed

Darn it! I was home all day long except for the 20 minutes it took me to pick up my daughter and drive her to the barn to ride. I swear the PG&E guy must have been sitting on the corner waiting for me leave! Now I have to call them back and reschedule the furnace checkup

I hate mowing and edging the lawn! The front yard is steep and it's always exciting when the mower starts sliding sideways down the hill. The backyard isn't any easier. But it always feels soooo good when I've got the job finished.

When I first moved here a couple of years ago, I had boxes and boxes of books that I asked to be stacked into a wardrobe. Now I want to go through them, and get rid of the ones I don't want to keep, and put the others onto bookshelves. But for the life of me, I can neither reach the higher shelves, nor can I lift the boxes! Some male muscles are definitely needed, here!

Then there's my toothbrush holder which simply WON'T stick to the wall, and keeps falling off. And some vertical drapes in one room which are stuck on closed position, which I would like to be able to open. I'm just no good at this sort of thing at all.

Maybe consider hiring a teenager that lives in the neighborhood to be the muscle that you need for the boxes, Daisy....as far as drapes, toothbrush holders and stuff, maybe there's a handyman in your area that does those types of things

I have a teenager that mows and edges and does any major yard work for me as well as moving/lifting heavy things. I think he is moving away in a few months and I don't know what I will do then. His brother will still be living in the house they are moving from but he will be across town and he doesn't have a driver's license yet. I also have a handyman/electrician in my rolodex for appliance repair and such. Unfortunately he hasn't a creative bone in his body! I talked to him about what kind of recessed cans might be best for my family room and he looked at me blankly. If I buy them he will install them but he can't help me choose them.

I'm good at a lot of things: painting, some light fixtures (fans are too heavy), minor plumbing. I do my pool maintenance and pump/filter strip down. Some things, like the garbage, seem to have always been not my job!

dang...you do a lot, browntoes...garbage should be a piece of cake after all that....as far as the light cans, that could be a tough thing to add without tearing out the drywall....I wouldn't give you a blank look but I'd explain that it's not as easy as just cutting a hole and sticking them up there...consider low profile track lighting..less remodeling and much more cost affective

I have some old track lighting there now and replacing it may be the best solution. I think removing it may leave some ugly marks requiring new drywall. So far I have decided to ignore it for now.

The to-do list is pretty long. I have a dishwasher sitting in my breakfast room that I want to try to install myself. And I need to go get a new garbage disposal. When it rains it pours! I can hire this stuff done, but I like the sense of accomplishment I get from doing some of the stuff myself. I have also replaced the fan motor in my refrigerator and repaired my drier. I tackle what I feel is do-able and call someone for the rest.

I have decided that I am not qualified to tackle electrical jobs beyond light fixture and switch replacement! I once shorted out 3 rooms replacing the switch to my track lights. After I called the electrician, he determined that the wiring was all screwed up by whoever installed the track lights and was actually a hazard. That and the power was supplied to the track lights with an extension cord plugged into the attic fan which has an outlet in it. NOT code!

I installed the vinyl floor in my family room but I don't ever want to do that again! What a chore. I grew up thinking all men were like the men in family, could fix anything with duct tape, baling wire, and WD40. I was wrong! I married a cerebral man with zero interest in home maintenace and no aptitude for it. As a result, I learned to do things myself.

Garbage was HIS only job! He also cleaned the rain gutters once a year. I once asked him to do something to do with the pool equipment which had a large flowering vine growing around the enclosure. He need to trim it back and mentioned it to me, I said fine in a distracted way. Later he came in and told me he might have made a mistake. I went out to find it was cut to the ground! Sigh.

Some of the most cerebral men I have ever met, were very good at what they were required of in their field, but could screw up making a pot of coffee..We all have our jobs in life...Myself, I was always more of the craftsman type attitude which lead to not near the comfortable life that a "cerebral" man can lead, but I get along just fine knowing that I am a jack of all trades and a master of quite a few.....good luck on your household projects, browntoes, I admire you for taking them on