Have you ever thought, “I’ll just tidy up” and three hours later wonder what happened? Picking up leads to dusting leads to vacuuming leads to dragging out the Bissell carpet spot lifter. It attacked me yesterday afternoon.

Then about 5 o’clock I decided my car needed to be washed. I wonder sometimes why I bother. The bugs on the highway this time of year are the size of small birds and the birds seem to use my black car for target practice. When I think it will rain and wash off the splattered bugs and bird poop, the skies are clear for a week.

I grabbed some quarters and headed to town in my car washing clothes. About halfway there I remembered three things I needed and exited across the highway from the car wash toward the Dollar General. Then I realized how I was dressed. “Get over yourself, Suzette,” I said out loud and walked toward the store. I felt so much better when the first person I saw had on pajama bottoms and Crocks.

The car wash wasn’t busy because all the smart people were out on the lake. I pulled in the bay where the truck drivers wash their big rigs, dropped in six quarters and picked up the soapy brush. I had the gooey soap slathered all over the car when the one minute countdown alarm sounded. The challenge was on to rinse the whole car off in one minute.

I attacked like a wild woman. A breeze kicked up and I was down wind. I was too busy to worry about it because I was going to beat the timer. That had to have been the longest minute ever. When I looked up, all the soap was off, the meter said 0:00, but the water was still going. It was like waking up at 3:00 am realizing there were several hours of sleep time left. I had plenty of time. The water never went off on its own so I finally turned the black knob to the off position.

I got back on the highway toward home, half drenched, hair stuck to my head, but the car looked good. There’s just something about a clean car. It makes you look like you have it all together when you really don’t ... and probably never do.