Burned out

I think I've broken something.

I've only worked five hours of scheduled overtime in the last seven days. It was on Saturday, from 10:00 to 3:00 (which actually lasted to something like 3:18.) After that, I went to 4:00 Mass, and after that, I went shopping at two different grocery stores. I got home, unloaded the groceries (in two trips), put everything away, sat down for supper, got my lunch together for the next day, wrote my blog post, surfed the internet, and went to bed, to wake up bright and early for my regularly-scheduled 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday workday.

Monday - yesterday - I had off. I used this time to do long-neglected yard and garden stuff: tied up my sprawling tomatoes, chopped down some black walnut trees and pokeberry bushes and one large oak sapling that had sprung up, and mowed the lawn. Even though the weather was cool - relatively cool, only about 79 F (about 26 C) - I had to take several lengthy breaks. When all was done, I scrubbed myself down and threw together supper, some fake chicken parmigiana (chicken tenders I had pan-sauteed two weeks ago and frozen, bathed in spaghetti sauce and topped with strips of American cheese dusted with Parmesan cheese from a shaker, served over spaghetti) and when that was done I made some oven-fried chicken thighs, my lunch for the next two weeks.

This morning I didn't want to get up, and I started off my work week exhausted.

And that's where I am now. There are things I should do before bed. I've actually half-done them already, and the harder half is behind me. But the rest feels big, too big.

Still, all the overtime I have done over the past month has paid off. I was able to pay many daunting annual bills that are coming due, and I have some more money coming to help cover some others that are on their way. I can't quite cover everything through the end of the year, and certainly can't cover the county and municipal bills that will show up in January, but I still have time to work and put stuff away.

Which is a good thing, since in sixty days, I will be without a job.