Shared Tasks

 The kitchen faucet broke last night while Mark was washing the dishes. It had been going for a while; his plan was to deal with it this weekend, but it jumped the list. As he rigged by a C Clamp to stop the gushing water, I prepped for the water being turned off the next morning. For a moment, I dreamed of a new house, maybe a new car and bike, no yard…It is a lot of working keeping everything functioning around here. But then—we have it down.

·         I am in charge of all of the food. I plan, grow, purchase, prep and cook all of our meals. Mark eats and he washes the dishes.

·         I take care of the Ark, our old VW van. Mark takes care of our bikes. They rarely all go down at once.

·         Mark worries about the animals and calls the vet. I haul them to the vet in the cat carrier on the back of my bike. I pill.

·         Mark is in charge of all electrical appliances. He rewires the stove, fixes the plumbing, tests the chicken door that shuts at twilight. He is also in charge of plumbing. He knows the kitchen faucet very well. He has also worked in the outside faucets. I am in charge of painting, prep for painting, choosing paint, and repairing broken windows. I am also in charge of monitoring the solar panel output and calling in problems.

·         I prune. Mark chops it into compost. He mows. I trim.

·         I clean the kitchen; Mark cleans the bathroom.

·         I write letters; he edits them for word count and, more importantly, tone.

·         I am in charge of our social schedule, keeping order in our household lives, and purging stuff that piles up in the basement or the closet. Mark is in charge of providing a Theory for discussion while we wait for something, like dinner on a busy night.