January 4, 2019
Dear Everyone:
What is it about
Christmas that results in so much cleaning?
First, we need to make room for the
tree, etc.,
somewhere. So this goes
there, which means that has to go over there.
No, that won’t work.
Put it in the closet for now and we’ll figure it out later.
Now this spot needs to be
vacuumed, or
wiped, or something. How did
it get so dusty, just sitting there?
And have you ever noticed that
cobweb before?
Next thing we know, things that haven’t been touched in months are
suddenly getting a bath. And
things that have been sitting where they always were are suddenly in the
way, when they never were before.
But then, just in time, everything is in order.
The tree is resplendent, all thirty-six inches of it.
The
stockings are hung by the chimney with care, compliments of
temporary-adhesive hooks.
The dining room has been completely reorganized.
Just like the reorganization at work that saw me
booted out of my job
after 38 years, the cedar chest, which occupied a corner of the dining
room, also got the boot.
After all, it was broken and had been since before I could remember.
Sure, it once belonged to our maternal grandmother; but is that
any reason to keep it, when it does nothing and is really in the way?
I’m sure the analysts at work who decided that my job could just
as easily be done by a twenty-something off the streets in a
Third World
country felt the same way.
And then, before you know it, the
Holidays are over and everything has to go back the way it was.
Or does it? In
reality, the dining room is much more spacious without the
aforementioned cedar chest taking up most of one wall.
And the living room really does look better without all those
work-in-progress crochet projects cluttering up things.
Of course, as they are needed, they will make their way back
simply because it’s more convenient than going into the second bedroom
every time I need another stitch marker.
Gradually, things will return to “normal”.
Only, in this case, I need to make room for “Jeannie’s” two cats, who
will be staying with me for a week while “Jeannie” visits “Alice” in
Florida.
Something about a
timeshare on
Sanibel Island.
The same thing happened last year, around the same time.
So the cats have been here before.
Last time, I laid some brown wrapping paper down to protect the
carpet in the second bedroom, for the
litter box.
This year, I decided to do something different.
I had already acquired a plastic chair mat to go under the chair in my
“computer corner”. The old
mat needed replacing. And I
thought it might work in the “cat’s room” for the duration.
After that, I could just throw it out.
All of this, naturally, meant dragging out the vacuum cleaner to suck up
all the dust around the computer area.
Then I could lay down the new chair mat, moving the old one to
the second bedroom.
And, as long as the vacuum was out, I might as well clean all the rest
of the carpeting. To be
honest, I was mildly horrified to see how quickly the “extra large
capacity” cannister filled up.
Maybe I should make a “New
Year’s Resolution” to vacuum more frequently.
My upstairs neighbor vacuums her place about twice a week, at least.
But then, she has two dogs, a cat, a baby and a husband.
All I will have is two cats and only temporarily.
Nevertheless, I hereby resolve to vacuum all the carpets about
once a month, whether they need it or not.
Love, as always,
Pete
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