To those of you who think I failed to survive a much-needed vacation with my wife, the simple task of reading these words proves you as wrong.

However, she did let me know her displeasure concerning my column two weeks ago where, in an informative effort to enlighten my readers on how to beat the high price of gas, I said not to carry bulky, unnecessary items in your car. Ask your wife, girlfriend or significant other to get out

Deborah did not find that humorous. However, she was able to forgive and forget, as long as I followed orders last week.

With my work schedule, it’s very easy for me to get behind on my &uot;HoneyDo&uot; list at home. I made a valiant effort to catch-up on that list last week and earn some brownie points with Deborah at the same time. In other words, I followed her orders.

We experienced blissful days of spring cleaning in the middle of July. First came the dreaded &uot;back room&uot; – aka the junk room. I think we were both surprised that we didn’t find another family hiding among all the stuff. I was really disappointed in that; at least we could have used them for assistance.

Next came my chest of drawers. The way things were crammed in there, it must have been sometimes during Clinton’s first term in office that I had taken the time to go through that mess. However, I did find my Chowan College wristwatch. All it needed was a new battery.

Then I moved into our walk-in closet. I was under direct orders to get rid of anything that no longer fit. That chore alone took care about half my clothes.

While rambling through an old box in the closet, I ran across a statement from Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in 1985. It detailed their services when Deborah gave birth to Danielle, who, by the way, celebrated her 20th birthday on Thursday of last week. She’s still worth every penny.

Other than the normal weekly duties around the house – cutting grass, taking out the trash, etc. – that was about it for my vacation workweek. I did go to the doctor on Tuesday (a scheduled visit). There, I learned my fears were true as Dr. Powell confirmed I have high blood pressure. Welcome old age!!!!

My only trips out of town were a visit to the Barnes Brothers Barber Shop in Murfreesboro where Johnny was able to trim my hair and still make it look like I wasn’t completely going bald and to Greenville where Deborah and I shopped for Danielle’s birthday present. We dined on a delicious out-of-town culinary experience at Arby’s.

On Thursday, I grilled steaks for Dani’s birthday supper. I lost 20 pounds in the heat.

Other than that, it was a simple, relaxing week away from the rigors of work. The only time I got riled up all week was when we went to Wally World here in Ahoskie. Upon exiting and locating the truck in the parking lot, some idiot had left their shopping cart parked right next to my vehicle.

While I fumed, Deborah moved it (all of one parking space) to the cart return area. Apparently, the culprit was too lazy to walk an extra five yards.

Thank goodness for blood pressure medication.