I would like to be here - but I'm not!
Still stuck here at home with no journey possible yet,
the lovely destination just a dream.
away from home just prior to the news of the pandemic!
This morning the sun is pouring through the south side windows of the
house. . . . . . lovely, bright, cheery. . . . . .but definitely showing up dusty
floors and furniture, all requiring some serious housework.
I don't know about you but I will admit I've been lax these past several
months when it comes to deep cleaning. It's been mostly what my dear
mother called "a lick and a promise" with thoughts of doing the big clean
come Spring once we no longer light the nightly dust producing fire, and
traipse through the house with bird seed sunflower shells stuck to our feet.
Perhaps just knowing company will not be arriving, makes me a bit less
'house proud'. Hopefully there's always tomorrow when I don't have to
go anywhere and can run around with the vac', Swiffer and dust cloth.
Do you know where I'm coming from?
I hope someone out there is feeling the same way!
I do like a tidy, clean house but can't say I really enjoy housework as
I used to back in my more mobile days. I now add it to that list, you know
the one, the getting longer by the month list of things to do (or can't do at
this age and must therefore hire a helping hand!).
Recently we even had to request help from our great neighbor, the other Bob,
to help my Bob turn the new mattress when the master bedroom did get a
good clean. With my torn right rotator cuff there's no way I could participate.
Why have mattresses become such behemoths anyway, ours is almost as
big as the entire bedroom. Talk about 'the elephant in the
room', no it's just the queen sized mattress!
**************
I have to say here that I'm spending a lot of time teaching myself the
ins and outs of NEW PicMonkey! At first I was ready to give up
but now I'm learning some fun new ways to create things with
my photos - such as the one here today. It does take time figuring
it all out and one really needs to be interested in graphic design if
wanting to go beyond the basic edits.
You may recall I worked in commercial art and advertising
back in the day - so far back it was prior to computers and
computerized art! Those years did however give a chance
to learn about design and composition, open the door to more
artistic photography, and make me feel a little bit more
like an 'artist'. . . . . . .which I definitely wasn't!
Enjoy your day - do something beautiful for yourself.
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I know the feeling, Mary. 'There's always tomorrow' has become a byword in my life!
ReplyDeleteDear Mary - I like many of the new items in PicMonkey but some of those that are no longer available are a sad loss.
ReplyDeleteTalking about cleaning the house, I too have been sadly lacking in that department, a quick flick and hoover has found me getting by, but alas no longer. I need to give the place a really good clean and this week I have started with avengeance, just hope that I can keep it up.
Rosemary, I'm in agreement, however the more I work on learning about the 'layering' aspect, I discover that things I couldn't find at first are there - it's rather a matter of accidental discovery for a non-techie such as me! If I wasn't stuck at home with time on my hands I wouldn't have the patience - now I see it's more like PhotoShop perhaps, and I never was brave enough, or had time, to try that!
DeleteI'm waiting until early spring to do the heavy house cleaning, lol!
Mary -
I feel exactly the same as you do. Nobody is coming to visit us, so I do less cleaning...spend some time to do more interesting things. Here we also can’t go out of the country and of course no travel . II can’t visit my son in Dubai
ReplyDeleteHope we will have better times one day!
Take care
Your beach picture is lovely. I feel very fortunate to have moved back to the beach, so I can go whenever I want. We have been busy painting, fixing etc so it seems dust collects around here as well. I am not planning on a big clean until after the new kitchen is installed, because I am sure that will make a lot of dust!
ReplyDeleteDearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteYes, the 'house proud' did kind of vanish with all the social distancing and no possibility for inviting friends for dinner or even for a tea!
What a shame that our social life has been put on the back burner by command.
This week I've started to walk with a friend, a few months my senior, walking their dogs around a pond near the house. That was a great initiative as it helps with sleeping better and being forced to be more productive in the hours before. Let's hope I can build it up!
Asking for help has been very depressing as a contractor who promised to come in April, has yet to begin... and another job downstairs is not being started either. Seems like some are afraid of Covid?! Even though we both were negative and have had our 1st dose of the vaccine.
Let's hope things will improve this spring and summer.
Hugs,
Mariette
There's not much incentive for deep cleaning - it's been a lick and a promise around here, too. How wonderful it will be when we can travel again, not even very far. I am longing to see my parents. Hopefully things will improve soon. Much love to you and Bob, Lorrie. Tim says hi.
ReplyDeleteDear Mary,
ReplyDelete"It's been mostly what my dear mother called "a lick and a promise"
- I love that one! In my book on housekeeping for young men, "HomeBasics" (a mixture of dearly needed practical tips, served with a vinaigrette of literature and humour) I called the harder version of that method with a quote of Carol G.Eisen: "The-Elizabeth-Taylor-Who-Is-Afraid-Of-Virginia-Woolf-Emergency-Cleaning" - this title is more exhausting than the actual cleaning :-)
I like it clean in a comfortable relaxed way - and expecting visitors definitely helps! (Me).
And yes, YES: I do love goals (and reaching them) too - they motivate me, make me start to do the first step of a journey - I think: we can enjoy the ride AND arrive somewhere.
Hugs, Britta
As I live on my own during the week, there is just the usual dusting, hoovering, wiping floors and clening the bathroom to do, but it is often rushed between work, groceries shopping and going for my daily walk. I have not cleaned my windows in ages, justifying it with much rainy weather, but every bit of sun makes me cringe in shame - they REALLY need doing, just not today... ;-)
ReplyDeleteI followed the link and did enjoy your photos of Pine Knoll shores from last year. How dramatic is the Atlantic Ocean, and your coastline which I also looked at on Google maps. It has long and interesting islands, appreciated by this map lover. It is now a year since we have been to a cinema, so strange isn't it? Like you, I have found attention to housework has really lagged over the pandemic. In fact, we have now called in the professionals for a while just to feel more organised. We have decided to plan a short holiday interstate in April, border closures etc permitting. I wonder if it will eventuate :) xxx
ReplyDeleteI've never been one to enjoy housework. Attempts to have a cleaning routine don't seem to quite stick, so I've gotten to where if I see something needs to be done, I'll do it. But often times I need to be in the right frame of mind. Things tend to get so grimy and dusty here no matter how much I clean so often it just seems like a wasted effort anyways. It's been more than a year since we traveled. Normally we would go to at least Dubai, Jordan and Jerusalem once or twice a year, a couple of other trips during the Eid holidays if we were able. As of Sunday, we will have additional restrictions again because cases have gone up. Was hoping to get my hair cut but now salons and gyms will be closed for a while; restaurants and malls will have to close early. Unfortunately, they can't keep people from gathering at home or for parties and weddings and I'm pretty sure that's where the spread actually happens. Take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteDear Mary, It began with cleaning 12 enormous windows...but only on the inside. The floors can wait another week or two now that only snow sticks to our feet which melts and evaporates quickly on heated stone. I will dust tomorrow morning because company is coming for lunch. We must check if the Ford Jubilee tractor will start just in case it snows. Have to go to the feed store for cracked corn for ducks and geese. And finally, must check the level of the pond now that the ice is melting. don't want to flood the fields. Then there is the greenhouse...
ReplyDeleteHow I'd love to be somewhere warm right now! We had yet another snowstorm yesterday and now we have an Arctic blast. It is -8 with the wind chill right now and will only get worse as the weekend goes on. We could be down to -30 with the wind chill on Sunday. Typical Illinois winter though. The uncanny thing is, Tim just flew in from CA last night. His plane was delayed three hours. And he missed his scheduled flight (don't even ask) so then had to catch the last one. He's only here through Monday. He'll probably be glad to go back to warm, sunny California!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the mattresses. They are much heavier these days. Luckily, Brian and I can still flip ours though I have shoulder problems too (had a left partially torn rotator cuff years ago but 9 months of PT healed it...now have shoulder impingement in my right shoulder), so who knows how much longer I'll be able to do this.
xoxo
I don't think I remembered that you worked in commercial art. Now I see it, as you always do such a beautiful job of each post.
ReplyDeleteNope, I don't clean much. However, I am going through and cleaning old magazines and pictures because I can spread them all over the place and know no one is coming over to see the mess. I am kind of liking finally doing this mess.
Take care, dear friend! We will make it through this mess of the pandemic.
Hmm, having trouble leaving a comment. I'll try again. Thanks for the photo and quote. It reminds me of a time not long before my late husband passed away when we were driving over an hour from our home in hopes of finding a cafe we had heard about. We were having some trouble finding it, and I was becoming impatient. My sweet husband smiled and gently said, "It's not the destination, it's the journey." He was so right! Thanks for sharing this, Mary. I could use a trip to the ocean right now. It would do my soul good. Hugs, Nancy
ReplyDeleteI so understand not keeping up with all household *duties*! I like things neat, but can over look dust, with the best of them.
ReplyDeleteSaturday, I actually "had had enough", as the saying goes. Swept, dusted, bissell-ed away, and actually accomplished something. -smile-
'Tis now Monday though........
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