Scrub-a-dub-dub...

No, there are no men in my tub- at least not at this moment; it is my semi-annual “Let’s scour everything that doesn’t move & a few things that do, just in case” turn out of the family homestead. This it the time of year that I feel the itch to blow out the cobwebs & sterilize everything before winter weather sets in; add to that the upcoming House to House dinner at our home & you end up with a 10-day long festival of tidying. 

 

This all began with the desire to have the carpets cleaned downstairs; this is a different group of people- who seem to be much better behaved then Saint C- but why risk any more insults to my dingy carpets? Having the carpets done necessitates moving the furniture & breakables out of the rooms, which naturally must be preceded by removing the piles from said furniture- papers, books, fabric, sewing paraphernalia, & assorted random crap. Being a good FlyBaby (okay, okay- a marginal one), we have taking on one small area each evening- sorting, tossing, relocating, & finally cleaning with my favorite orange En*dust- which left only the big stuff to move last night. It took the guys maybe an hour to remove everything into the garage or out to the back porch, leaving a couple of chairs & a lamp for us to use until bedtime.

         

We were then treated to a floorshow, courtesy of our furry friends; just as each human in our family has their own personality & quirks, the cats will show their individuality when faced with change. Confronted by this empty room, their reactions were varied; Daisy parked her carcass on the throw rug in the kitchen, refusing to budge regardless of the constant flow of traffic over & around her; Poppy, after hiding in the laundry room during the action, took an entire 15 minutes to belly-crawl through the area- flinching at every sound, shadow, & imaginary bug- & has been ensconced in the bathroom sink upstairs ever since. Dahlia, true to her rebel form, has been having a grand time; tail held high like a frisky horse, she has been galloping around, exploring hitherto unseen corners, running laps around the room, & joyfully playing with the pile of toys that were unearthed from under the sofa & microwave cart. Here is a shot of her cache:

 

If you are wondering about those pieces of paper, well...she has a number of traditional cat toys- mostly gifts- that she will consent to play with on occasion, but given the contrary nature of the feline, Dahlia’s favorite plaything is wadded up paper- a cough drop wrapper, tissue paper from a package, or- to my mortification- the paper strip from a panty liner. She will fish these treasures out of the trash can in the bathroom & bat them around the house, carrying them from room to room in her mouth, & dropping them at someone’s feet. She is such a dog-cat!

  

Anyway, the carpets are done & drying; the furniture will be moved back in tonight or tomorrow morning; Chris is on vacation until Monday & has been armed with a list (short, really- only half a page) of little things to do before Saturday morning. It isn’t a wholesale, exhaustive cleaning, worthy of a hospital ward or a nesting mother; it’s just a bunch of small things that I’ve noticed- usually sitting on the pot, ala Wiemie & The Wallpaper Stripping- that would be obvious to my guests. You know the kind of thing; the grayish-brown areas around the door handles, jams, light switches, & the corner of every wall in my house; one light bulb burned out in a two-bulb fixture; the built up grime on the burner drip pans, that smokes whenever anyone cooks & sets off the alarm. There is a two-fold reason behind this strategy; it will keep him occupied while he’s off (I’ve already told you, the man does not know how to relax) so I should only receive 3 or 4 phone calls from him per day, & the myriad of grime spots will be dealt with be the creator (him), instead of by the only person who seems to see these things (me).

  

Well, I’m off to the grocery store before choir practice tonight; on the menu for Saturday is Barbequed Pork Ribs, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, my infamous Spiced Cranberry/Peach Chutney, as well as Hot Cider & assorted beverages- the others are bringing salad, bread, & dessert. It will be one of those weekends; Saturday morning, we’ll be decorating for Christmas at Ravenswood & then the party in the evening; Sunday will be spent giving tours at the Cottage & then taking Sam out to a long ago promised movie- he got first quarter grades & nothing lower than a “C”, even in English, his weak subject. Monday is holiday for us, so I plan doing my impression of a root vegetable for the day; just call me Marrow Meg & poke me with a fork to make sure I’m done. 

  

 

Cat Haiku

(author unknown)

My brain: walnut sized.

Yours: largest among primates.

Yet, who leaves for work?