I may as well admit it - don't want to - gonna do it anyway. I'm admitting that I just can't manage to do the things necessary to keep this house in half-way presentable order. Harry is already doing most of the cooking, dishes, and laundry. He's also doing the daily cleaning and dressing my as yet unhealed surgical site. By the time evening is here he is worn out. It isn't fair to put the total load of this house, the yard, the reefs, and his business on his plate. Where is this going? Well, I've finally faced the fact that I need to have a cleaning service take care of the house for the short term at least. I have an 11 a.m. appointment with the first candidate for the job tomorrow morning. Let's hope she doesn't run screaming to her car. It would be embarrassing if the neighbors saw that.
Many years ago the occasion arose that I needed to learn to use a stop watch in order to time line workers. I practiced by timing every chore that I did around the house. It's an experience that I didn't enjoy and had forgotten about until I found my practice sheets among some old school papers. In 1985 I could strip a bed, put on clean sheets and pillowcases, and totally dress the bed in 8 minutes 15 seconds. Today, just for comparison, I timed myself putting on a bottom sheet, top sheet, and 3 pillow cases. Just under 14 minutes. A cleaning service seems to be my solution - at least for the next two or three months. As a side note: Those times, recorded so long ago, are in the trash. No reason to beat myself up. I'm not a young chick anymore.
I hope I don't sound depressed because I'm certainly not. As a matter of fact, I'm feeling better every day. I had Jesse with me yesterday afternoon and James will be here tomorrow. I love having playmates. We can giggle and plan the next school year which begins next Monday morning.
The new picture (above) was made yesterday. It's a Yellow Leather soft coral which grows in Fiji. It's my current favorite coral and its home is my reef tank.
That's it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying a peaceful evening.
4 comments:
What a beautiful, beautiful coral, Mary! Yellow is one of my favorite colors and this photo made me smile as soon as I arrived on your blog. Cheerful things are just what you need around you right now!
Oh good Lord, I am so glad you trashed that list of timed tasks. Ten years ago I could clean an entire house top to bottom in under four hours. Now I can't seem to get our little house all clean and tidy at once... if the floors are done, the tables are dusty, if the dishes are clean, the laundry isn't. And it is indeed frustrating at times. But I don't beat myself up for it either. We are entitled to slow down a little at this stage of our lives. I totally support you hiring some cleaning help to make things easier on you and your hubby. You have such a kind heart and don't want to see him wearing out trying to keep everything nice for you. We have a wonderful cleaning lady that John has known for years. She comes in every other week for three hours and does floors, windows, ceiling fans, bathrooms, and any other projects I don't have the time, energy, or desire to tackle. She is the sweetest, needs the money, and is super-dependable. In fact she'll be coming by to feed our furkids while we are away next week. I don't know many people I'd trust with the key to my house, but her I definitely do. You just keep taking it easy there, save your energy for healing, and let God take care of the rest. With Him and your hubby, you are surely in good hands!
I would gladly give over the cleaning of my house to a service in an instant if I could. I would consider it a supreme treat. If you can do it, by all means do. You deserve to have the house the way you want it. Harry needs a rest. Take this time to focus on the things that make you happy. Like the grandkids and your peaceful reefs.
This is such a wise choice Mary. Its funny because I just got the names of 2 women that do cleaning from my nail tech. They both come highly recommended and they are personally known by her. I can no longer do the heavy cleaning and have been hating to admit it...but its high time I did so I can get this place back in order. Please Mary do a criminal check on anyone you want to hire. Here in Michigan we can obtain a criminal history. for our state only, through the internet for $10. We have to go to the State Police site to obtain it. If your state doesn't offer that, make the applicant get a 'clearance letter' from the local police dept. It won't tell you if they've been in trouble in another area, but it will tell you about your county. You can also request that they go to the State Police and send for their own criminal history (they will have to have their fingerprints done). I think it will cost them about $25. If they do that, then you can find out if they have been in trouble anywhere in the State. Its sad that it has come to this....but you just can't trust people like we used to....unless you're lucky enough to find someone that is known to you. Good luck and feel better soon. And YES...that coral is absolutely gorgeous.
The cleaning service sounds like a good idea for you. You should be interviewing just about now as I write this. Hope it goes well.
Next time I do the sheets I'm going to time myself for fun. :-) I'll let you know what my time is.
Tell James hello for me. I hope his sunflowers are going good.
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