Sometimes I just get fed up with the house and myself. This is when the urge to Do The Boring Things kicks in.
Honestly, I don’t see the dirt and clutter, and I understand hoarding to a point. While I don’t like trash and food lying around, I know how it happens. You’re depressed, you’re comfortable sitting down, and tossing that cup and napkin means getting up. If you get up, you have to walk through the mess. The trash can is full and you don’t want to take it outside, and when is trash day anyway? So to toss one thing, you have to empty the larger bin, and find the trash bags. To find the trash bags, stuff must be moved, and there’s nowhere to move anything. If by chance you find the bags, there’s three boxes of them and you’re ashamed you’re wasting money. Money means stress, so you just sit down again.
I am not to that point, and never plan to be. I really have an aversion to sitting with dirty dishes and trash. But I get it. I don’t scrub my tub because it hurts my back, and the side of the tub presses against my hernia. Cleaning services don’t want to take small jobs, I had a friend with a service do the small job, but she is not longer cleaning. So I have a grimy tub which I spot clean when I get sick of it.
My door frames and window sills get grimy up top where I cannot look. The white paint is not fresh and bright. My fading vision enables me into not “seeing” it. I get why some houses become shabby.
I did make progress this weekend. I was doing something at my kitchen table, and looked up at the curtains. There were strands of dust. I moved the cat food bins, and some art stuff, and climbed up. Took the valence and the sheers down, so grody. The cat stained glass piece came down and got a bath, the curtains got a wash, and the window frame wiped down. I did not put the heavy valence back up, it is so 80s, so heavy.
While I was up there, I took down the small plate and stenciled “Nuts 2 U” on it to match the Fuck Pineapple. I had glued together the smashed Belleek saucer with gold 3D paint, and hung it up too. While I was up there, I set and wound the Japanese clock. A 30 day clock, with date and day, tick tock, and loud chimes. It has not been touched for five? seven? years or more. About time, eh?
I didn’t do much outdoors, too hot. In fact, all Sunday, I didn’t even change out of my light nightgown. I still did dishes, painted a bit, tidied, swept, and did laundry. Finished the flat fossil rock paintings. Filled the coffee canister. Refilled the paper towel and the toilet paper rolls. Brought up some pork chops to thaw. Hung up a fish banner, and put away the Americana windsocks. I just had no desire to put on clothing. Early this morning, I climbed up and changed the filter in the swamp cooler down shaft. That’s a “Larry job”, which is an extra step of Be Sad for a few moments, wear that like a scarf, then set it down and move forward. With the two step stepstool and the palm drill, I can do it, but it is a lot of up and down. This is why I know my hall door frames are a mess, I was up close with the hall light on. But it is done, and the airflow is so much nicer.
Still too much sitting, but my hernia and back are complaining about the small amount I did do. Progress happened, I can see that clearly enough. Day at a time, day at a time.
MaggieMayhem 