Sometimes less is not more...

I vacuumed yesterday for the second time, I believe, since moving here.  Possibly the third.  I am not sure if I vacuumed for Bettina's visit in February.  After all, I had just been living here a few months.  I did vacuum for my visitors in July.  SIGH.  It was past time to vacuum again.

By this I mean vacuum the upstairs.  I try to vacuum the rug in front of the couch every week.  Amos, the darned Beast, inevitably brings in a piece of bark to chew up immediately following any vacuuming effort of mine.  So, I never get to savor it like I do freshly mown grass.

Lugging the vacuum upstairs is not my idea of something I should be doing.  Plus, doing so means also lugging it back down stairs.  Were I working, I would most definitely consider the luxury of a second vacuum cleaner.  I suppose...I should not discuss how many times I had to empty the container on the vacuum??

Sadly, my beloved Dyson is ill right now.  The part that you pull up and use for all the attachments is not providing suction.  Actually, it sucks so hard the tube closes shut.  I can find nothing blocking it, so I need to call Dyson.  But even the thought of calling for service technicians, though, makes me exhausted.

Yesterday, I also cleaned the bird cage.  After getting the bottom on correctly, I promised myself that I would not let it go so long again, and yet that is what I did.  Sometimes, less is not more.  If I clean the cage every couple of weeks instead of every couple of months, the job is significantly less work.

So, between vacuuming, sweeping, and cleaning the bird cage, I was so exhausted that I struggled to sleep last night.  Very frustrating...both the not sleeping and that a little housework tuckers me out so.  I very much HATE how weak I am.

Today, I steam mopped the floors.  My goodness!  I had completely forgotten how much I love doing that.  With very little effort, I have spectacularly clean floors.  Since the vacuum is ill, I swept the floors last night.  The amount of dirt and dust was shameful.  Gross.  I shall not describe just how black the pads were on the steam cleaner.  I used both sides on both pads.  Afterward, I went ahead and ordered two more pads. I have been wanting to do that for a while and they were $2 less than they have been.

In addition to the steam mopping, I also did three loads of laundry and cleaned the bathroom floor.  Is it silly of me to say...again...how much more so I enjoy doing laundry in my brightly decorated space??  The new "counter" is so very convenient and makes sorting the laundry very easy.  Nearly 10 months later, I have not yet ceased in savoring my new washing machine that does not have that center post agitator.  Just dump clothes in and pluck them right back out.  Piece of cake!  And, of course, the ancient, super duper dryer is a very good friend of mine.  The golden yellow is so cheery, and standing on the rug makes it seem less like being in the basement and more like being in a nice room in the house. Truly, doing laundry is a brighter experience (pun intended).

Not vacuuming upstairs for months on end does not make that job harder, but certainly leaving off cleaning the bird cage does.  Truly, less is not always more.

I need to make a list of all the cleaning tasks that need to be done and look at how I can space them out enough to not get so tired from the work.  Of course, the Myrtle method is to just push through until everything is done and then collapse from exhaustion and be couch bound for several days.  However, I need to stop doing that.  You know, the way I limit how many armloads of wood I will bring up from the garage at a given time. I would rather just finish it all at once.  In that case though, for now at least, less walking means less pain in my foot and a better chance of it healing...eventually.

Anyway, I need a cleaning list.  Of course, that means remembering all the cleaning tasks there are to do...(hint, hint Bettina).  For now, what I do need to remember is to clean the bird cage next week so as to not let the job become too overwhelming for me.

That...and allowing my clean, clean floors to distract me from how discouraging it is to be so blooming tired from a bit of housework.


I am Yours, Lord.  Save me!