I’m overwhelmed, exhausted and stressed to the max–and the week has just begun! Seems that everyone who walked into my office or called or emailed today was demanding something of me. At about noon I thought about walking out. Of course I didn’t and also didn’t let on to most of my coworkers how I felt. Not a good way to start a Monday morning.

Tomorrow should be a better day. All the management staff (of which I’m not a member, thank God!) will be off at an all day retreat lasting into the evening. Am hopeful I won’t be bugged by too many of the remaining staff members and will get lots accomplished. I’ll need to get lots done, ’cause the rest of the week will once again be crazy. Jesse Jackson will be preaching at All Saints on Sunday. I don’t look forward to all the bedlam that will precede his visit.

Trimmed the ficus tree at the front of the house over the weekend (with Patrick’s help) and got all the mess cleaned up and out in the trash this morning. Not so with the large night-blooming jasmine in the backyard. Got about 1/3 of the bush trimmed, and all the mess is still lying about on the pool deck. Unfortunately it gets dark within about an hour after I get home from work so, unless I get started immediately on the cleanup, it will have to lay there until Saturday. As long as we don’t have any Santa Ana winds it shouldn’t be a problem. At least the guy from the pool cleaning service will be able to move completely around the pool now without having to make his way through the maze of branches that were overhanging the pool.

Had hoped to get lots more accomplished around the house, but at least got dishes done as well as a couple loads of laundry. Just couldn’t get motivated to do much else besides that and the tree trimming. The early darkness in the evening is part of the problem. Once it’s dark I just don’t feel like doing much. Not good as the end of daylight savings time approaches in less than a month.