The yard has many remains of pine cones that look like small remnants of corn on the cob, just the skinny spine all chewed on. I imagine it is squirrels that have feasted in our large pine. I never remember seeing so many at once. Gearing up for a bad winter?
handyman is coming in an hour. Anna left again last night to her cousins without cleaning her bathroom. I asked her several days ago. Doesn’t look like I can treat her like an adult
Look up the price of bathroom cleaning services. Charge the going rate or make her hire someone that you approve to do it since she does not have time to do it. Does she know how? If she never had to do the basics at home, maybe she needs a teacher?
‘Young people’ are an in-between stage of life in our culture.
Off in a couple hours to cover a story at a local high school where a treasure-trove of ancient, once-undersea fossils were discovered and churned up during a construction project on the campus.
It feels cooler this morning than yesterday. Forecast says it’ll be 86 today, much better than yesterday — and temps are going down to 77 for Tuesday. I’m hoping that means we’re over it. The weekend was sweltering.
Good morning, all. Supposed to be eighty nine here today and tomorrow but dropping back down Wednesday and beyond.
Those of you who know me know I am not a housekeeper extraordinaire. I remember looking around my very messy house after the third child and realized I was waiting for my mother to come clean it! It was up to me to get it done. So I had another child, fostered another dozen or two, finally adopting some more. They all participated in housework. But lo and behold! Not all of them are tidy people, most reverting to the bio home raising of homes filled with unhousebroken animals, dirty dishes, dirty clothes, etc.
In my case, I am a better housekeeper than my mom was. She used to laugh about how her sister, my Aunt Gert, considered cleaning the counters and the stove top part of washing the dishes after dinner.
One evening, many years after having grown up and having been taking care of my own kitchen, as I was wiping down the stove top after dinner, I realized that I was doing what Mom had laughed about Aunt Gert doing. (It just seemed to be the natural thing to do!) 😀
I guess Mom would leave that other stuff for a particular day when she would clean the kitchen.
My dad was the neater one, I think.
Mom had other fine attributes, though, that I do not. She was good at creative crafts and at gardening. She would plan her garden so that different plants were blooming at different times of the spring and summer. I, on the other hand, managed to kill an air fern. 😀
My husband does the dishes–his choice–but I’m the one who wipes down the kitchen. And we were never taught to wash dishes while we were cooking, and my husband was. So when I cook I try to do a “happy medium.” Since dishes are his responsibility (and nearly everything else is mine, or we do it together), I try at least to rinse off anything I use while cooking, and if there are extra-large dishes such as mixing bowls, I go ahead and wash them and put them in the drainer, and then I leave the rest for him. His energy is limited, and I know if I leave too big a pile, it will be a lot for him.
I’m not naturally tidy, and my mother-in-law (who is) is coming for a visit Wednesday. And I was sick last week and mostly staying in our bedroom so my husband won’t get sick and keep his mom from coming. But I have done most of it, and I think I’m on track to do the rest. I just won’t get a chance to mop the floors and some of those “extra” cleaning tasks I was hoping to do–I don’t dare push too hard while getting over being sick. Truth is she’ll see piles of books but she won’t see if the floor is extra shiny; her eyes aren’t young anymore.
I kind of laugh when I realize I am stacking dishes or doing some clean up in places that it is not my job. It just comes naturally now. It sure wasn’t so when I was newly married. Eventually, as with mumsee, one realizes it is easier to do “as you go” than when it piles up.
My granddaughter has 3 roommates for her first year of college. They all get along together, except for one, who is mothering them in a way no one appreciates. It does seem to be way beyond the pale. My granddaughter was also shocked when they went through 14 (yes, 14!) rolls of toilet paper in less than a week! There was quite a discussion about that. I guess the consumption was also a problem with a grandson and his roommates. They learned to each keep a roll in their own “pods’ and bring it to the bathroom with them.
Human beings are endlessly interesting. Patience and wisdom prayers for you, Jo.
Turns out that I needed a new water heater and the handyman took care of it at a much lower rate than a plumber. I had a list for him and while we were waiting for the tank to drain he took care of most of it. I didn’t know how to connect to my new router and he showed me how in a few minutes. Also got my new water purifier working. A new line up in the laundry room to dry some things indoors. And we even found some doorknobs and keys for the garage cuz we didn’t have any keys for what was there. Even a pesky reset button on the microwave is taken care of.
BTW, my husband chose to be responsible for washing the dishes because he wanted to replace our non-working dishwasher. We didn’t have a dishwasher in our previous house, and I have virtually never used one. (I have had one for less than a year of my adult life, and thought it more a hassle than it was worth. We happened to have a dishwasher in one childhood home, but it got used only on Sundays–previously Dad’s day to wash dishes, so that didn’t give us kids a break from the six days we washed them–and Thanksgiving.) I prefer washing dishes by hand, he prefers using a dishwasher, so he suggested replacing it and having him take over doing all the dishes, and that worked for me.
When his health crashed (even further) two years ago, I took over the two household tasks that had been his, but he also now helps more with meal prep than he used to. He also used to do much of the grocery shopping; we’d either do it together or, if we’d already shopped twice that week and he wanted something from the store, he’d go alone. I prefer shopping every other week, and he likes doing it more frequently. Now nearly all the shopping is my responsibility. Rolling with life’s changes is part of life.
“Rolling with life’s changes is part of life.” Very true, Cheryl.
Of course, my life changed quite a bit when Hubby died. But I have noticed that although it may not look like it, our lives since then have continued to change in various ways. Sometimes it takes a while to realize how much has changed, as we are caught up in the day-to-day routines. I have seen even my personal daily routines gradually change, slowly, and in increments.
Wandering Views 
Happy Birthday, 6 Arrows!
Happy Monday to the rest of you!
The yard has many remains of pine cones that look like small remnants of corn on the cob, just the skinny spine all chewed on. I imagine it is squirrels that have feasted in our large pine. I never remember seeing so many at once. Gearing up for a bad winter?
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handyman is coming in an hour. Anna left again last night to her cousins without cleaning her bathroom. I asked her several days ago. Doesn’t look like I can treat her like an adult
wisdom in knowing what to say
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Welcome to my world, Jo.
mumsee
LikeLiked by 1 person
Look up the price of bathroom cleaning services. Charge the going rate or make her hire someone that you approve to do it since she does not have time to do it. Does she know how? If she never had to do the basics at home, maybe she needs a teacher?
LikeLike
‘Young people’ are an in-between stage of life in our culture.
Off in a couple hours to cover a story at a local high school where a treasure-trove of ancient, once-undersea fossils were discovered and churned up during a construction project on the campus.
It feels cooler this morning than yesterday. Forecast says it’ll be 86 today, much better than yesterday — and temps are going down to 77 for Tuesday. I’m hoping that means we’re over it. The weekend was sweltering.
LikeLike
Good morning, all. Supposed to be eighty nine here today and tomorrow but dropping back down Wednesday and beyond.
Those of you who know me know I am not a housekeeper extraordinaire. I remember looking around my very messy house after the third child and realized I was waiting for my mother to come clean it! It was up to me to get it done. So I had another child, fostered another dozen or two, finally adopting some more. They all participated in housework. But lo and behold! Not all of them are tidy people, most reverting to the bio home raising of homes filled with unhousebroken animals, dirty dishes, dirty clothes, etc.
mumsee
LikeLiked by 3 people
In my case, I am a better housekeeper than my mom was. She used to laugh about how her sister, my Aunt Gert, considered cleaning the counters and the stove top part of washing the dishes after dinner.
One evening, many years after having grown up and having been taking care of my own kitchen, as I was wiping down the stove top after dinner, I realized that I was doing what Mom had laughed about Aunt Gert doing. (It just seemed to be the natural thing to do!) 😀
I guess Mom would leave that other stuff for a particular day when she would clean the kitchen.
My dad was the neater one, I think.
Mom had other fine attributes, though, that I do not. She was good at creative crafts and at gardening. She would plan her garden so that different plants were blooming at different times of the spring and summer. I, on the other hand, managed to kill an air fern. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
My husband does the dishes–his choice–but I’m the one who wipes down the kitchen. And we were never taught to wash dishes while we were cooking, and my husband was. So when I cook I try to do a “happy medium.” Since dishes are his responsibility (and nearly everything else is mine, or we do it together), I try at least to rinse off anything I use while cooking, and if there are extra-large dishes such as mixing bowls, I go ahead and wash them and put them in the drainer, and then I leave the rest for him. His energy is limited, and I know if I leave too big a pile, it will be a lot for him.
I’m not naturally tidy, and my mother-in-law (who is) is coming for a visit Wednesday. And I was sick last week and mostly staying in our bedroom so my husband won’t get sick and keep his mom from coming. But I have done most of it, and I think I’m on track to do the rest. I just won’t get a chance to mop the floors and some of those “extra” cleaning tasks I was hoping to do–I don’t dare push too hard while getting over being sick. Truth is she’ll see piles of books but she won’t see if the floor is extra shiny; her eyes aren’t young anymore.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I kind of laugh when I realize I am stacking dishes or doing some clean up in places that it is not my job. It just comes naturally now. It sure wasn’t so when I was newly married. Eventually, as with mumsee, one realizes it is easier to do “as you go” than when it piles up.
My granddaughter has 3 roommates for her first year of college. They all get along together, except for one, who is mothering them in a way no one appreciates. It does seem to be way beyond the pale. My granddaughter was also shocked when they went through 14 (yes, 14!) rolls of toilet paper in less than a week! There was quite a discussion about that. I guess the consumption was also a problem with a grandson and his roommates. They learned to each keep a roll in their own “pods’ and bring it to the bathroom with them.
Human beings are endlessly interesting. Patience and wisdom prayers for you, Jo.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks all
Turns out that I needed a new water heater and the handyman took care of it at a much lower rate than a plumber. I had a list for him and while we were waiting for the tank to drain he took care of most of it. I didn’t know how to connect to my new router and he showed me how in a few minutes. Also got my new water purifier working. A new line up in the laundry room to dry some things indoors. And we even found some doorknobs and keys for the garage cuz we didn’t have any keys for what was there. Even a pesky reset button on the microwave is taken care of.
So nice to have my list taken care of.
Jo
LikeLiked by 3 people
How blessed to have such a great handyman, Jo! I wish we had one like that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
BTW, my husband chose to be responsible for washing the dishes because he wanted to replace our non-working dishwasher. We didn’t have a dishwasher in our previous house, and I have virtually never used one. (I have had one for less than a year of my adult life, and thought it more a hassle than it was worth. We happened to have a dishwasher in one childhood home, but it got used only on Sundays–previously Dad’s day to wash dishes, so that didn’t give us kids a break from the six days we washed them–and Thanksgiving.) I prefer washing dishes by hand, he prefers using a dishwasher, so he suggested replacing it and having him take over doing all the dishes, and that worked for me.
When his health crashed (even further) two years ago, I took over the two household tasks that had been his, but he also now helps more with meal prep than he used to. He also used to do much of the grocery shopping; we’d either do it together or, if we’d already shopped twice that week and he wanted something from the store, he’d go alone. I prefer shopping every other week, and he likes doing it more frequently. Now nearly all the shopping is my responsibility. Rolling with life’s changes is part of life.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Rolling with life’s changes is part of life.” Very true, Cheryl.
Of course, my life changed quite a bit when Hubby died. But I have noticed that although it may not look like it, our lives since then have continued to change in various ways. Sometimes it takes a while to realize how much has changed, as we are caught up in the day-to-day routines. I have seen even my personal daily routines gradually change, slowly, and in increments.
LikeLike