Posted tagged ‘cleaning’
April 14, 2016
Given the lateness of the hour, you’d think I dawdled the morning away. That is not even close to what happened. The last few days I have been in a funk, a malaise if you will, as my back has been especially bad, especially painful. Yesterday Gracie and I went to the dump. A couple of the bags were so heavy I had to drag them, but they had to go. They had developed dump smell. When I had finished tossing the bags into the big bins, I could barely get back to the car for the pain. I sat down for a while, patted Gracie and bemoaned my fate. After that we had two more errands. When I got home, my back was so bad I took up residence on the couch and stayed there all the rest of the day. I caught up with my DVR’d programs, read through the mountain of catalogues and took a nap. This morning I was so much better, and the best part is the grayness has gone.
I had that weird bout of energy I get, one of those walk around the house and dust with my sweatshirt mornings. I washed all the dog’s dishes and her placemat. I swept the kitchen floor and then changed all the newspapers at Fern’s alternative cat box by the front door. I even made my bed. I feel accomplished.
Today I have to go to the vet’s to pick up Fern and Maddie’s medicine. Maddie’s medicine is for thyroid and Fern’s medicine is for kidneys which, given her age, aren’t functioning as well as they should. The vet figures that’s why Fern has chosen not to use the litter boxes. Fern would have had to take a couple of pills a day. I would have needed to hire a crew to help. When I told the vet how feisty Fern is, she said I could get it in a rub but it was more money, as if I cared. The rub goes on her ear. That’s my only part. The rest is up to Fern.
Today is beautiful, a bit chillier than yesterday but all in all it’s a lovely day. With the change in seasons I have noticed an adjective change. In winter I would have said today is colder than yesterday. Now, in spring, it is chillier.
I guess all in all I’m feeling lucky. After everything it sounds strange I’m sure, but today my back doesn’t hurt for the first time in nearly a week. The Red Sox finally beat the Orioles. My house is clean enough for company should someone drop by to visit. The vet bill this month caused tremors, my hands shook signing my name, but we finally know what’s going on, and Fern will get better.
Things are looking up in my world.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bad back, burst of energy, cat medicine, cleaning, dump, Dusting, Fern's kidneys, funk, greyness, late morning, lucky, making the bed, malaise, vets
Comments: 18 Comments
February 15, 2016
We did it again. We broke another record. Sunday morning the temperature plummeted to minus 9, with a windchill of minus 36, shattering the old record by 6 degrees. Luckily, though, we’re having a heat wave starting today. I wish I could sing the rest of the song, but the temperature will be nowhere near a tropical heat wave. Today’s temperature is expected to rise to near-freezing (you have to laugh when the temperature rises to near-freezing) with the possibility of snow, and tomorrow’s temperature may climb into the 50s, accompanied by wind and rain. We’re getting closer to beach weather.
Being housebound for the last few days has put me over the edge. Yesterday I actually cleaned and polished the shelves in the den and everything on them, and believe me, those shelves are filled. I watered all the plants and cleaned the TV screen so it no longer resembles a dust bowl. Today I intend to dust the desk and clean all the wind-up toys on the top of it. This whole urge to clean is a bit frightening. I’m thinking Stepford Wives, the original not the remake.
Spring is definitely coming. Today’s paper had baseball news on the front page of the sports section. I ravenously digested every word of every article. My imagination went wild. I was at Fenway Park on a warm spring night. I could hear the whack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. I could smell the grass and could taste the hot dog topped with mustard and relish. I watched Big Popi hit one out by the Citgo sign. I clapped and cheered.
I’ve decided Gracie and I are going to take a ride, destination still unknown. That’s the best sort of a ride: when you don’t know where you’re going. You just pick a street or a road at random and follow where it goes. I love surprises.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 36˚, baseball season, cleaning, dust bowl, dusty TV, Heat Wave, new record cold, polishing, ride, Stepford Wives
Comments: 10 Comments
January 7, 2016
Today is warmer than it has been which is good as I have a few errands to do. The cats need dry food, and I need bread, life’s essentials for the cats and me. I did vacuum and dust a bit yesterday so I have a small sense of accomplishment.
I didn’t even know how to work the washing machine my freshman year in college. The bell went off once, and the machine wouldn’t work no matter what buttons I pushed. The idea of an uneven load never entered my head. I didn’t even know the load could be uneven, unbalanced. I ended up pulling out the clothes and wringing them by hand before putting them into the dryer. When I mentioned the bell to my mother, she explained about redistributing the clothes in the drum. I was thinking we should have had a laundry lesson before I left.
My junior year in college I had an apartment. My roommate and I had been classmates starting in the first grade and all the way through except for the year on the Cape. She had always worked to put herself through school. She was one of those waitresses who could heft full trays. Her right arm had more muscles than her left. She could cook anything, and I was amazed. I could cook things like eggs, hot dogs or hamburgers, but that was it. She even made meatloaf and gravy, onion gravy. I was more than happy to do the dishes if she cooked.
I was mostly inept when it came to household stuff. I never did laundry, never cooked and didn’t even have to make my bed. My mother did it all. That made apartment living an adventure. Learning to clean was easy. Learning to cook took a bit more time, but I got good at it.
Being in Africa was a test of sorts. I had to survive without machines or devices including an oven and a washing machine and dryer. My wringing skills came to bear on wash day, all done by hand. I ate mostly chicken with a sauce. The meal was cooked over a charcoal fire and the sauce was usually made from tomatoes and onions, the two most plentiful veggies. I did a little frying as well. I was spreading my culinary wings.
Nothing fazed me after Africa. I conquered the wash and kitchen duties and could cook just about anything. I was never to be afraid to try. That was the best part of it all. I had some failures, the bagels come to mind, but the successes were delicious, still are.
Categories: Musings
Tags: apartment, bells, cleaning, Cooking, errand day, uneven load, warmer day, Washing machine
Comments: 20 Comments
October 27, 2015
I see spider webs. That may not sound like much, but it means I am just about healthy again. It means the weird cleaning obsession is back so I have to stop and clean away the webs and dust whenever I see them. Already the dishwasher is filling with dusty votive glasses and chimneys. I’m even going to empty the dryer.
Today is much like yesterday, sunny and in the 50’s. We’ll have warmer weather later in the week, back to the 60’s for a couple of days. I love this time of year.
My mother always created our Halloween costumes. We never bought them ready-made. Sometimes, though, we’d buy a mask to go with whatever we were, but I never really liked full-faced masks. They were hot, and most times my eyes didn’t line up with the holes so I could only see half the world. I liked the masks favored by the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet, the ones where only your eyes were covered.
We used pillow slips to carry our bounty so we didn’t have to worry about paper bag handles breaking. Those were the days of red apples, popcorn balls and little tied bags with a few pieces of candy. I remember one red apple had a nickel stuck in it. That was a treasure. I never thought about the time that went into making popcorn balls. I was a kid. All I thought about was the candy.
Fun size candy bars didn’t exist when I was a kid. Now that’s just about what everyone gives. A few years ago I decided to give out what we called nickel bars. I remember how excited we were to get them, and how from year to year we’d return to the houses which passed them out. One was a red house with a huge porch. It was on Main Street right near my friend’s house. Two old ladies usually answered the door. They loved to see the costumes and always complimented us on how good and scary we looked. They gave us Hershey Bars every year. The red house is still there though now it is a business. I always think of those two old ladies every time I go by it. We were so excited to get those Hershey Bars. That memory so filled with delight had me switch to full size bars. The first year I did, a little girl was so excited she yelled to her father waiting on the street, “It’s a big bar.” I knew exactly how she was feeling.
Categories: Musings
Tags: candy, cleaning, Clothes dryer, costumes, dust, fun bars, Halloween, masks, pillow cases, popcorn balls, red apples, spider webs
Comments: 8 Comments
February 8, 2015
The new snow makes the world look pristine, but I don’t care. We only got an inch or less, but it doesn’t matter. I am becoming unhinged. I can see myself running down the street with my arms waving over my head while I’m yelling a jumble of nonsense, my mind unable to form coherent sentences. The only distinguishable word is snow said over and over.
Yesterday I cleaned shelves, watered plants, changed my bed and swept the kitchen, negative effects of all this snow. In the afternoon, I finally saved myself by taking a nap.
I can’t imagine my mother having four kids stuck in the house. She must have gone crazy. The diversions back then were limited: TV, with shows only in the late afternoon, books and our all time favorite: teasing my sisters. They’d scream and yell to my mother. My brother and I always feigned innocence. Our favorite was when we’d point and hold our fingers a few inches from our sister’s face. When she screamed as she always did, I’d yell, “We’re not even touching her.” My mother, wise to our ways, told us to stop whatever we were doing.
My sister has and is continuing to get have snow. She got about 7 inches last night and more will fall over the next two days, up to a total of two feet. This morning she saw a cross-country skier on the sidewalk.
The bird feeders are empty. I’ll have to go through the unshoveled snow on the deck to get there, but I will. I don’t want my poor birds wanting.
Life is boring right now. I can read only so long, the TV offers little to watch despite the number of channels and I haven’t any reason to be out and about. Maybe I’ll do more cleaning, but the mere mention of that is further proof I am losing my grasp on reality.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bird feeders, cleaning, did chores, Dusting, new snow, reality, running down the street, snow crazed, snow crazy, swept the kitchen, teasing
Comments: 12 Comments
January 20, 2015
Today is pretty with a blue sky and sun. It is also cold, in the 30’s. Gracie and I are venturing out this afternoon as I have a couple of errands. She’ll be happy for the car ride but Gracie is usually a happy dog, a tail wagger.
I cleaned out my closet of clothes I haven’t worn in years, since I retired. It amazed me how many clothes I had, but I wore a dress or skirt to work every day and hated to wear the same things too close together. Now my closet has plenty of room. In it are my current outfits. There are four dresses which I seldom wear. Easter was the last time I wore a dress. Flannel shirts, polo shirts and a few dressier tops don’t take up a lot of room. Two of my tops are floral. Why I bought them I have no idea. I am not a floral type. I have summer and winter pants and sweatshirt type tops with hoods. My Ghanaian clothes are now hanging in the closet. One is a dress and three are shirts. They used to hang on the back of my bedroom door. They are colorful and stand out from the rest of my clothes. Anyone could guess they come from Africa or some other exotic place. My guest room closet is next on the list to be cleared, but I’ll save that for another day or month or even year.
I know the world hates the Patriots. According to many they only win if they cheat. That to me is poor sportsmanship and sour grapes. The latest accusation comes from the Colts, no surprise there after the beating they took. They are accusing the Pats of using under-inflated footballs to gain an advantage in the rain. It is being called deflate-gate. I loved the CNN post by Mike Downey which called this, “a weird, wild, farcical, you-gotta-be-kidding-me “controversy” that has, uh, blown up unexpectedly.” Mr. Downey filled his article with puns and jokes befitting the accusation. His conclusion was, “I believe the Patriots win most of their games because they score more points than the other team does.” Jimmy Fallon was hysterical with his opening monologue last night about inflated and deflated balls. You had to know that was coming.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bags of clothes, beautiful day, casual clothes, cleaning, closet cleaning, deflate-gate, Dresses, dressy clothes, floral tops, Ghanaian clothes, nice day, pants or dresses, Patriots, sweatshirts
Comments: 16 Comments
November 14, 2014
Last night the rain started and didn’t stop until late this morning, but it was a short dry spell. The rain started again about 20 minutes ago. It is colder than it has been, 41˚, and tonight will be in the 30’s. Gracie and I just got back from the dump. Going in the rain is the best time for the dump as few people venture. Trash can wait. There were just three other cars. Luckily the rain had stopped when we left the house. I dumped my recycles and trash and left. As soon as I got through the gate, the rain started again in earnest, regular wiper speed a necessity. The day is raw cold.
Yesterday I was Hazel, the maid and filled the bird feeders, cleaned the fridge, swept the floor, washed the dog bowls and placemat, did two loads of laundry and even brought both loads upstairs. I dusted the den using the sleeve of my sweatshirt, always a handy tool for dusting, and polished a couple of tables. I was not meant for menial labor.
I am a woman of very few words today. I haven’t seen anybody or done anything interesting. I did watch A Christmas Carol last night, my favorite with Alastair Sim. It was retro Thursday on the Hallmark Channel. I do love this movie and his welfare, his reclamation if you will.
I read an article about Scrooge called Diagnosing Scrooge Syndrome. According to the author Scrooge suffered from Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder, not yet official in the DSM-V, only proposed. “PTED will, if included, probably apply to a person experiencing, witnessing or being directly confronted with a highly traumatic event or events leading to chronic (longer than three months minimally, but more realistically, at least one year) feelings of embitterment.” The article is a long one so I won’t quote all of it here, but dear old Ebenezer, according to the author, saves himself through his interactions with the ghosts. That part I agree with, but humbug I say about the rest of the article. Some things needn’t be analyzed.
I’m now visualizing Rudolph on the couch, his red nose bright, his eyes filled with tears as he relates the story of being ridiculed and harassed. I won’t even mention Santa.
Categories: Musings
Tags: A Christmas Carol, Alastair Sim, cleaning, cold and rainy, Hazel, polishing, Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder, Scrooge, the maid
Comments: 10 Comments
October 9, 2014
I swear it was sunny when I went outside to get the papers. Now it is cloudy and dark. The trees in the backyard look stark against the grey sky. It is cooler than it has been. I have no complaints, though, as it was 70˚ yesterday. I went about my errands with the window down. I had a list and missed nothing, even got my flu shot.
I have been restless and don’t know the reason. I go from being on-line to reading to cleaning and finally to wandering the house looking for something to do. I have polished and dusted. I have swept the kitchen then wet mopped the floor. My timing, though, is bad. My cleaning couple come today.
I don’t remember watching my mother clean the house. She did it while we were in school. I have no idea as to her routine. I just know the house was clean and the beds were made when I got home. In the late afternoon, my mother would start to work on dinner. I remember her standing by the sink peeling potatoes. It is always 16 Washington Ave in my memories. That is where I spent most of my growing up years. Here and there are memories of earlier and later places, but I can still remember every room at 16 Washington Ave. I remember looking out the picture window at the rain or the snow or the wind blowing leaves down the street. The television was in a cabinet. There were two closets downstairs almost right next to each other, and I always wondered why the builders did it that way. The first, the larger of the two, was where the coats and boots were kept. My dad would come home from work, take off and then hang up his topcoat and put his hat on the shelf. The other closet, in a nook, wasn’t as deep. The ironing board and iron were there, and my mother used to hide Christmas presents in the back. That’s all I remember about that closet.
We always said Washington Ave, never Washington Avenue. I don’t know why.
Categories: Musings
Tags: cleaning, cooler, errands, grey sky, hat, making beds, my mother, peeling potatoes, restless, stark, top coat, two closets
Comments: 6 Comments
June 1, 2014
Today is a glorious spring day filled with warm sunshine and deep blue skies. I just came back from driving my friends to the bus stop in Barnstable, and the ride home was a joy. The trees along the highway are leafy and are so many different colors of green. Hawks were riding the thermals. No one was in a hurry. When I got off the highway close to home, I saw people walking their dogs, runners along the bike path and bike riders along the road. The warmth of the sun is like a magnet drawing us out of our cool, dark houses. The sun on the deck is waiting for me.
I have memories of Junes long past, of transitions and changes. It was always the month ushering in the freedom of summer days. It was the month of graduations, of moving from one place in my life to another. I left for Ghana in June on a journey which changed my life. I came home two years later in June with experiences to hold for a lifetime. June is when the cape finally wakes from winter, when the flowers all bloom and the air smells fragrant. It is no wonder I count June as my favorite month.
The laundry has made it down to this floor. It is by the cellar door. It may get done today or maybe not. It depends on how long I can stand seeing it lying there. Sometimes I need to do things right away, the laundry obviously not one of those things. This morning it was sweeping the kitchen floor. When I was making the coffee, I noticed dust in the corners and bits of dry dog food around Gracie’s bowl. I lasted only through one cup of coffee then took out the broom. I couldn’t take it any more.
I have decided how to spend my day. I will do nothing but sit in the sun, sip a cold drink and read. The laundry in the hall will just fine for another day or two.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bike riding, cleaning, dog walking, glorious day, hawks, June, Laundry, running, sun, sweeping, transitions
Comments: 13 Comments
October 4, 2013
Today’s weather is a maybe day: maybe it will rain and maybe it won’t. The sun pops out then the clouds take over and the sun disappears for a while. Outside is warmer than inside. I was on the deck earlier scaring a chipmunk from the feeder. It took off like a shot and walked across the top of the fence to get out of the yard. It lives in my front lawn. I have watched it disappear down a hole and then reappear from a different hole. My landscaper wants to fill the holes in, but I told him no. The chipmunk is still cute though any future forays at the feeder will lessen the cuteness factor. Speaking of feeders, that red spawn hasn’t been back. I suspect it didn’t love being sprayed by the hose.
Last night was one of those twist and turn nights. I just couldn’t fall asleep so I turned the light back on and read until close to 3. Gracie was snoring at the foot of the bed and Fern was cozy in the comforter, purring as she slept. I was envious of both of them. I woke up around 9:30.
I am still randomly cleaning. This morning it was the kitchen which got my attention while I waited for the coffee to brew. I cleaned the tops of pictures, some knickknacks and the shelf on the side wall. It is the neatest shelf and was made by my favorite woodworker. The color is a sort of blue and it has hand-painted decorations. All strange sorts of stuff are on it including old cowboy and Indian figures like my brother used to play with, a Day of the Dead chef, a shell from the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, some really ugly Easter decorations and a small ceramic piece which sort of looks like a bulldog. The shelf has a string of pepper lights hanging from one of the hooks and is surrounded by shell lights. I light them more often in the winter to scare away the darkness. They look really neat.
Today I’m going to watch the Red Sox play-off game with my friends. The game starts at the crazy hour of three. I’m going to be super fan and wear my Red Sox shirt and hat. I’ll cheer and even groan, both of which come easily, as does an occasional swear. Go Red Sox!!
Categories: Musings
Tags: chipmunk, cleaning, cloudy day, cowboys and Indians, game clothes, insomnia, knick-knacks, late-night reading, maybe day, neat shelf, Red Sox, red spawn, snoring dog and purring cat
Comments: 10 Comments
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