Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Spring Cleaning


Right now mostly what I'm doing is writing and cleaning. Spring is in the air, and I'm filled with the overwhelming impulse to clean my entire house (except the attic--I mean, please). If you've ever seen my house, you would know that this is an impulse that doesn't hit often, so when it hits, I get going.

Today I bought a microfiber ceiling fan cleaner. I've been spraying it with lavender oil and dusting all the high spots--fans, light fixtures, the tops of cabinets. One of my goals is to make my house smell divine. I don't know what it smells like normally--it's my house, and I can't smell it--but considering that I roast a lot of broccoli and cauliflower, and given that roasted broccoli and cauliflower taste delicious but smell terrible while they're cooking, well, I hate to think what sort of odors have collected in the corners and under the rugs.

Speaking of rugs, my friend Sarah has generously offered to let me use her carpet cleaner. Have you ever used one? It is both incredibly satisfying and really disgusting to see how black the water gets. It's like you live on the edge of a tar pit and no one ever takes off their shoes when they enter the house. 

(An aside: we have no rules about taking off your shoes when you enter the house, but the boys and I kick ours off the minute we come through the door. The Man, so much more civilized, trades out his work shoes for slippers as soon as he's home from work.)

Back to smelly houses--One major roadblock to getting our house to smell springtime fresh is that it's springtime, and therefore we can't open the windows. The Man and Jack have terrible spring allergies, and Will and I suffer some, too. It makes me sad, because I'd like to have the windows open all spring and fall, but I can't. If you have any suggestions for springtime freshness sans open windows, do let me know.

***

Other bits and pieces: Jack continues to be nominally cheerful. He even pays attention during dinner table discussions, but mostly he's just waiting for opportunities to make very dry, very wry remarks. It's like eating dinner with a Cambridge don who likes to think of himself as a bit of a wit. 

Will's two front teeth seem to be getting bigger all the time. Teeth don't actually grow, do they? Maybe they look so big because of all the gaps around them. We've started calling him "Gappy McGee," he's lost so many teeth lately. The Tooth Fairy is broke from tucking dollar bills under his pillow. 

Travis remains the silliest dog that ever lived. It's nice to know that some things will never change.

9 comments:

Tracy said...

I wish a spring cleaning bug would bite me. The only reason I cleaned the heater filter today was that the return air vent was whistling me out of my sanity. I've not much to give away in the first place!

You know what happens here though? I do amazing amounts of dusting and cleaning and things look all sparkly...and then the kids come home. Mr Busy took off his wet shoes yesterday afternoon and walked about the place in wet socks instead. Dill! Now there are footprints as well as the regular dust and grit throughout the place. There is very little satisfying about good house cleaning work being undone like *that*. So I don't clean much. I think it's a good justification.

Pom Pom said...

Yeah, the spring cleaning bug is no where to be found here. Sigh.
Travis sounds like such a good boy. I like him.

Angela said...

Teeth must grow, surely? Otherwise we would all be born with full size adult teeth hiding inside the gums in our tiny baby mouths.

Aren't they like your bones- they grow till they have reached the right size, then stop?

I could spend ages pondering on dental thoughts [dental-mentals] when I should be spring cleaning. Thank you for a useful diversion!

blessings x

Leslie said...

Travis looks spiffy and ready for spring! I've been doing some cleaning, too, especially my refrigerators. Feels so good. Wish I had the gumption to tackle the oven. I feel all bah humbugish about it though.

magsmcc said...

I so hope you are still blogging in fifteen years time so we can follow the just as fascinating adventures of the by then Cambridge don with reputation for being a bit of a wit! I'll send you sans open windows secret if you share the cleaning urge secret. Could be doing with some of that! Mattman has huge front teeth. I'm hoping he grows into them.

The dB family said...

Good for you on the spring cleaning! My idea of spring cleaning flitted away with the warmth and sunshine. It's supposed to get cooler and rainy again soon, so maybe then I will feel more like cleaning.

I'm glad you're all feeling better again, and I too am thankful for the Vicki's of this world!

Blessings!
Deborah

Gumbo Lily said...

I can't say that I'm spring cleaning, but I did use the carpet cleaner a few weeks ago. It IS a rewarding job! Carpet smells great and all that dirt gone down the drain is satisfying.

Right now I'm weeding my books and all the stuff that was in my old book case (boxed for the kitchen remodel). It'll be nice to get that job finished.

Shirley in Washington said...

Hi - I enjoy your blog so much! You have a wonderful writing style, makes me laugh and think. I have been reading for several years but this is my first time commenting. How is that Spring cleaning going? Shirley in Washington

victoria said...

I do like the idea of a ceiling fan cleaner. Jack as a wry Don is so funny!!
The story of the Librarian and the phone calls and emails and polite people and not polite people was quite comforting..