VJ Day

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Victory Day. For most of us in Rhode Island, that simply means a day off from work. If you live anywhere else, you're probably wondering what on earth I'm talking about.

Rhode Island is the only state that still officially celebrates Victory Day, marking the end of World War II and Japan's surrender. Years ago it was called VJ Day, Victory over Japan", but somewhere along the way it was renamed Victory Day. Probably a little more politically correct. Although, just between us, I'm guessing if Japan had won the war, they'd probably still be celebrating Victory over America Day. Just sayin'.

So what do you do with a day off? Other than quietly thanking my lucky stars that I get to live in the greatest country on earth...

Housework, of course.

This country gives us the opportunity to accumulate an awful lot of stuff, and judging by my house, I've embraced that opportunity with enthusiasm. Every room seemed to be begging for attention. Since Tim still had to work, the holiday isn't recognized federally, I decided to treat the day like a full-time job.

I went from room to room vacuuming, washing floors, dusting every surface, wiping down furniture, and cleaning things that probably hadn't been cleaned since...well...the last time I had a surprise day off.

Tim and I have also been engaged in an ongoing Febreze debate. He thinks spraying everything with Febreze solves the problem. I maintain that spraying perfume on stinkiness doesn't actually make it clean. If something smells bad, it probably needs soap, water, bleach, or at the very least a good scrubbing, not a floral cover-up.

I stand by that using Febreze instead of cleaning is basically giving the house a French whore's bath. (And before anyone asks...I have absolutely no idea why the whore has to be French. I didn't invent the expression.)

Case in point: the garbage cans. Summer heat has a special talent for turning perfectly innocent trash barrels into biological experiments. No amount of Febreze was going to fix that. They got the full bleach treatment instead.

By the time Tim got home, I'd put in a solid day's work, and I have to admit, the house was looking (and smelling) pretty darn good....no need for Febreze here! 

I finished my household duties then switched gears, showering,  getting dressed, and heading over to a friend's house to teach a little Mahjong.

If you're going to spend an evening teaching a game, you couldn't ask for a better classroom. Her house overlooks Salt Pond, with one of the prettiest views in Rhode Island. Between the breeze coming off the water and the peaceful setting, it almost didn't matter whether anyone learned the game.

Thankfully, they did.

Teaching a small group is such a different experience than teaching a room full of people. Everyone gets more individual attention, questions get answered right away, and before long they were already starting to recognize patterns and make smarter plays. Watching that little lightbulb go on is one of my favorite parts of teaching.

When I finally got home, I glanced at the calendar and couldn't believe what I was seeing.

We're already creeping toward the middle of August.

How does that happen every single year? One minute you're planting flowers and waiting for beach weather, and the next you're mentally calculating when it's time to haul all the porch plants back inside before the first frost. Summer has a sneaky way of slipping through your fingers. 

So if you'll excuse me over the next few weeks, I intend to slow down a little. I'll squeeze in a few more beach days, a few more evenings outside, a few more sunsets, and maybe a few more Mahjong games overlooking the water. Before long I'll be dragging tropical plants into the house, digging out sweaters, and settling in for another New England winter.

For now, though, I'm choosing to enjoy every last warm day while I've still got one....and celebrating our countries victories every chance I get! 

"In war, there is no substitute for victory." — Douglas MacArthur