“Dust is a protective coating for fine furniture.”
Yesterday I leaned against the bookcase in the living room and my sweatshirt came away blackened. All that smoke from last week’s fires has left the tops of tables, the cabinet shelves and the bookcase filthy with ash. I couldn’t stand the mess so I polished everything. Someone should have been there for pictures. I’d have grinned broadly while holding the filthy cleaning cloths. I finished the living room, but, as with any contagion, I wasn’t done. I moved on to the dining room then to the den. When each cloth got too filthy, I’d throw it on the floor then grab another from the plastic tube. I left a trail of dusty, dark polish cloths from room to room and felt a bit like Gretel only my leavings were more substantial. When I was done in, I picked up the cloths, tossed them in the basket and took a nap. I had earned it. Cleaning anything is debilitating.
I need medication. The disease is spreading. This morning while I waited for my coffee, I cleaned the top of the hutch in the dining room. On it are interesting bottles and a few carafes, and I cleaned them all. I realized the shelves need to be next, but just before I reached for another cloth the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and I was able to pull myself away. I haven’t been out much or seen many people so I can’t understand where I picked up this cleaning bug. I googled but found no cure. It has to run its course.
Today is cold, and tonight will be colder. Even though the sun is shining and the sky is blue you can almost see the cold. There is a breeze though I think it might be strong enough to be called a wind. The feeders are empty so I’ll have to venture out on the deck later. The birds who visit are many, and I’d hate to disappoint them.
Snow is predicted for the weekend yet again, but this time the Cape will not be getting much, only an inch at most. Boston and further north will get more. I’m happy for them!
I read an article in the paper about how the police have muddled the Pistotius case. It was an AP reprint. The end of the article is worth noting. It quoted Detective Botha, the main muddler who has since been dropped from the case and is now under investigation for attempted murder, about an accidental shooting, date unmentioned, in which the athlete was involved. According to Botha, Pistorius asked someone else, “to take the wrap.” The quotes are theirs!
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February 21, 2013 at 11:39 am
Hi Kat,
Cleaning things is a disease of isolation or avoidance. You get it because you are so freaking bored hanging about in winter with no interesting vacations to look forward to or because you are avoiding some other boring task that is even more unpleasant; like laundry or moving snow to make room for more snow. This morning I cleaned out the refrigerator which means I now have a sink full of dirty storage containers. Sigh. 🙂
I have a visit to the orthopedic surgeon today and I need to get dog food. Tonight is knit night with friends. A very busy day indeed. I’m glad it’s not snowing yet.
Enjoy the day!
February 21, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Hi Caryn,
It must be isolation. The weekends are usually busy and, instead, I’ve been stuck inside because of the snow. Last week I went out three days, all for doctors’ and a dentist appointment. I get tired of the same old stuff. I’m at the point where I need to buy something exciting for myself though I don’t know what.
Tomorrow is dump day so I’ll do the refrigerator cleaning and the litter boxes. No laundry need yet-weekend chore.
You do have a busy day though I did hear the sarcasm!
Have fun tonight!
February 21, 2013 at 1:19 pm
If google can’t come up with a cure there isn’t any 🙂
My kitchen is usually rather dusty after a winter of fires in the stove, I occasionally get that bug and clean away most of it during winter but the big cleaning is when spring arrives and there’s no more fires.
Yes they have really messed up thet Pistorius case! It will be interesting to follow this on the news, I can’t understand how he thought it was a burgular and never thought of warning his girlfriend that he says he thought was sleeping in the bed beside him?!
Nasty cold here now and it will be worse during the night, warm in my cottage though. The fire in the stove will be burning for a long time tonight.
Have a great day!
Christer.
February 21, 2013 at 6:22 pm
Christer,
You are so right about Google!
I won’t be having any more fires, at least I hope not because of snow, except for ambience.
Even the detective is suspect. Her’s been removed from the case not only because he bungled evidence but also because of his ow possible crime. This is a mess.
Cold here too and even colder tonight. I’m warm and that’s all I need!
Have a warm and cozy evening!
February 21, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Are cleaning bug traps available? Have-no-heart traps? Get well soon! If I don’t wear my glasses at home, I can’t see any dust 😉
February 21, 2013 at 6:24 pm
Birgit,
Wouldn’t that be wonderful if there were cleaning bug traps. I’d fill each room!
I try not to notice but after a while I can’t help but notice. I could write entire messages in the dust!
February 21, 2013 at 4:25 pm
Kat,
For KTCC regulars that like the gridiron football.
We are getting ready for the Combines in Indianapolis next week which will be televised extensively on the NFL Network.
The excitement here, is that the Prince’s Uncle, is considered to be one of four legitimate possibilities of being the number one selection in the draft.
To the NFL, from Stoney Creek High School in Rochester and Central Michigan University. The Prince’s Uncle is Eric Fisher who stands 6′ 8′ , weighing in at 305 with hands the size of a ruler.
I hope you all cheer him on next week, and be watching ESPN on April 25th as Eric and his family await a very high selection in to the National Football League and no, I am not his agent 🙂
February 21, 2013 at 6:26 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I would be so excited if I knew a potential NFL draftee, especially one with so much talent!! I will pass the word along to my friends who are draft fiends and have been since I’ve known them. They also watch the draft each year. It’s almost if I really know somebody who will be drafted high up.
I will cheer him on!!
February 21, 2013 at 6:35 pm
I don’t think that the Prince is making the trip to Radio City Music Hall to sit with Uncle Eric, but he will be cheering him on from home.
Yes, tell your draft fiends to track him, he is a great story. Now if he drops to the five pick, we can only hope that the Detroit Lions take him.
February 21, 2013 at 6:42 pm
MDH,
How delightful that would be for the Prince of he could see his uncle play for the home team!
February 21, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Eric loves the Lions and has always wanted to play for them. It would make game time very easy for the family. Of course it would mean that The Prince and I would have to give up our matching number 90 jerseys when we go to Ford Field together.
February 21, 2013 at 6:59 pm
MDH,
That is a small price to pay though I think matching jerseys are really neat!
February 21, 2013 at 7:59 pm
I believe that clean is an over rated state. People have put up with dirt for millennium and survived very well. With the discovery of antibiotics we can stay healthy and still avoid cleaning. The miracles of science never cease to amaze me.
Unfortunately, the Dallas Cowboys will probably come away from the combines empty handed of any real talent. Jerry Jones, the owner is probably the worst GM in sport. As a lawyer friend of mine likes to say, an attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client.
Today we had storms in the morning followed by clear skies with temperatures in the 60s. Tomorrow morning should be in the 30s without precipitation. Thank goodness I don’t live in Kansas. Wichita can be the hottest place in the country in summer and the coldest in winter. The wind always blows in Wichita regardless of the season. Wichita is the place to move to when the doctor says you only have six months to live because it will feel like two years 🙂
February 21, 2013 at 8:25 pm
Bob,
I agree with you about clean, but with allergies and asthma I do as little as necessary until I catch the bug I got yesterday.
Lots of people are credited with saying that, and they all have it right! I don’t know much about Jerry Jones, only my local owner, Bob Kraft.
The 60’s are perfect for this time of year. I’d be happy! We had the 30’s. It was cold. You gave me a good laugh with your Witchita line!!!
February 21, 2013 at 9:22 pm
Jerry Jones’s ego is bigger than Cowboy Stadium. I think he really wants to be the head coach, but then he couldn’t fire himself when the team does lousy 🙂
Who in their right mind would think that anyone would break into their house through the water closet, (The little room with only the toilet). This looks like the beginning of the South African version of the death of Nichole and the trial of O.J. Simpson.
February 21, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Bob,
Now that’s funny! Who do you fire?
You’re right starting with the detective. Remember Mark Fuhrman? He was later convicted for perjury. Detective Botha walked all over the crime scene in regular shoes, lost a few bullet casings and is under investigation. Sounds a lot like O.J.’s trial.
February 22, 2013 at 6:52 am
Did he not call out to see who was in the bathroom?
Did she lock herself in the bathroom, and in his rage he fired?
Why did he have to fire four times?
If he had had an assault rifle, would there have been more bullet holes in the door?
Did he call police first?
Did he not notice she wasn’t in the bed?
Too many unanswered questions. This has all the makings of an Edgar Wallace story. I can’t wait until the made-for-tv movie is aired.
The reasons kids nowadays (do I sound old?) get sick so often is that they don’t eat enough dirt and get all that bacteria into their systems. Our kids ate Ghanaian dirt and never got sick. The moral of the story is: Don’t clean too well.
February 22, 2013 at 11:11 am
Bill,
I like the moral of the story, but the residue ash was just too much, and I had to clean. I didn’t go overboard; it was just polishing, no floors, walls or anything else.
I agree with you. We get sick because everything we eat is too clean. Only once in two years did I get sick in Ghana, but it was a whopper. I had to get lomotil so I could go down country. I stopped in Tafo and visited you on my way to Accra. It was a run down the stairs to your outhouses, but that’s where I met the night soil man!
The paper today said her bladder was empty so the assumption is she went to the bathroom, but why then did she lock the door as you’ve asked.
You are right: too many questions!
February 22, 2013 at 7:15 am
I have the disease too, but happily. I am getting items priced for a huge yard sale I am going to be part of. I have been organizing, pricing, boxing and putting the box away till the day of.Putting it all in one room is feeling so great. Three grown children having left and kept things in each bedroom. Oh, to see it all cleaned out!
It is snowing and blowing here today. I will continue sorting and paint again. I started back on a troubling canvas yesterday and it needs a rework. Have a good weekend.
February 22, 2013 at 11:12 am
Cuidado,
A yard sale is always a good reason to clean and organize. I know I could do the same but the job seems daunting.
Ugly grey day again today. I have a few errands to do then I’ll read for the rest of the afternoon.
Enjoy your weekend!