Signs, Signs, Everywhere there's a sign

I never used to think that I was one of those anally retentive people.  I'm not talking about those who have problems expelling bodily waste, I mean the mentally anally rententive -- those who just can't seem to relinquish control of certain things.

I hadn't given this much thought until just recently, when a friend was visiting.  I was getting a drink for another friend, and noticed the ice cube tray was empty.  For those not in the know, "ice trays" are what we dump the ice cubes in when we don't have an automatic ice maker in the freezer of the refrigerator. 

Typically, the ice tray remains empty because my Otherwise Wonderful Spouse selectively removes cubes from the cube tray maker thingie  rather than dumping them into the big container where anybody could grab a few globs and cool off a tepid drink.  This would lead to not only having any ice cubes "being made," but to a perpetually ice-cube free freezer.  This annoyed me so much last summer that I wrote in permanent marker on the big ice cube container, "PLEASE REFILL WHEN EMPTY."

It worked for a while, but usually serves to send my Annoyance Meter sky high because I'm the one who usually fills the tray and then refills the smaller trays to make more ice. 

Anyway, I pointed this out to my friend and related my tale, and she laughed because it's pretty much the same story at her house.  But, she wondered, did I have signs everywhere? Or just in the freezer?

Because, she remarked, she had known someone whose mother liked to write messages on the shower wall, using dry erase markers or some such thing.  "Don't forget the dry cleaning,"  would appear on the shower wall, or some other daily message.

I stopped in my tracks.  No, I said, this is the only sign.

I couldn't be more wrong.

Regular readers know I've posted a sign on the front door asking would-be sales-kids to not ring (unless it's chocolate) because I have a hard time saying no.  "No sales, please," says the front door.

While doing laundry the other day, I realized I had a sign on the washer and dryer, each.  One reads, "WHITE CLOTHES", the other reads, "COLORED CLOTHES."

What on earth, you  must be wondering.  Well, in my defense, I have to say it was to save my sanity.  98% of the time, I do the laundry at this house.  98% of the time, despite my best efforts to lead by example and have obviously WHITE piles of clothing in one place and obviously DARK or COLORED clothes in another pile, the rest of my household remained stubbornly color blind until I posted the signs.

So far, the sign system works in the laundry room.

Another sign is posted at the bottom of the basement stairs.  My friend also noticed this one, because again, she has the same kind of issues at her own house.  My sign reads, "Tidy up and turn off the lights before coming upstairs."

Sigh.

I know what you're thinking.  Crazy cat lady. Crazy cat lady.

I admit it! It's probably true!  But, when you have kids, sometimes a reminder that isn't accompanied by an annoyed hollering voice can work wonders.  And the lights almost always are shut off before anybody comes upstairs.

Ok, it's time for one last sign.  This one is on the back door, which leads into the garage.  "Please leave all wet footwear on the rug."

You'd think that would not need explaining, but . . . I have KIDS.  Kids don't always have the same logic that adults do.  Wet shoes? Wet boots? Muddy sandals? Eh - I'll just walk through the entire house, to my room, and leave them in there.

My father-in-law commented on that particular sign.  "Footwear?" he queried.  I didn't respond, because I couldn't bear to explain that someone would no doubt say, "Well, it doesn't say BOOTS, so THAT must be ok! The sign just says SHOES!"

I'm a believer in notes.  Without notes to myself, reminding me to pick up the kids from school, go to the drugstore, or return library books, my life would be full of over-due notices and tearful phone calls.

Maybe my signs are a little bit . . . weird.

Obsessive-compulsive, perhaps.

Ok, ok! my signs are just a sign of an anally retentive person who wants some CONTROL over the ICE CUBE TRAYS and DIRTY SHOES!!!!! 

I'm just not ready to give up my signs.  Maybe in a few more years when the kids are older.  When they're teens, surely they'll remember to remove their dirty shoes, and learn how to make ice?  And surely they'll remember we don't own the electric company, and turn off the lights?

I'm not so sure.

Until then, maybe it's time for me to go look for some cats.  I'd better write a note to get that Crazy Cat Lady image going.