Three hours...

Three hours.

It took me three hours just to dust the first floor of my house, and I did not even properly finish the job!  I know that Becky does not expect me to clean for her, but I cannot bring myself to have a visitor without making some effort to clean.

No, the silver is not polished.

Bushwacked, I swept, swiffered, and vacuumed the first floor, but I did not tend to the baseboards, window sills, or French doors.  I cleaned the half bath off the parlor and the main bath, having scrubbed the tub last night.  I personally believe that the most merciful act a visitor could do is to remove his/her corrective lenses before entering my home.  That way, the house would look clean.

I dusted the upstairs, briefly.  And I vacuumed the floors, paying particular attention to the main guest room.  I did not, however, work on creating patterns in the carpet with the vacuum the way I have done since I was about 10 years old.  [Remember, I am the daughter of an Interior Designer.]

I took out the trash, however I have one confession.  Normally, I am the most meticulous recycler.  Now, I do not pay special attention to cleaning the recycling I toss in the bin, but every single scrap or tiny bit of material that can go in my single stream bin does.  I usually have but one bag of trash a week.  Today, I simply tossed everything into the large trash bag that I carted to and from my bedroom and all the bathrooms.  I do not even feel all that environmentally guilty about having some paper in the trash. I am that exhausted.

I did not clean all the mirrors not in the bath or, as I mentioned, cleaned the panes of all the French Doors, the beveled glass windows, or polished the silver.  The toilets are clean, as are the sinks.  About 70 percent of the dust in the house is gone.  Maybe 65 percent.

Amos is bathed.
I am bathed.
My sheet are cleaned.
The laundry is stuffed in the basket in my closet.

The microwave is clean, as is the stove.  But I really need for Becky to not look in the refrigerator or freezer or inside the oven.  Mostly, inside of places are not fully cleaned.

I did pick up all of Amos' babies, but they are already strew about.
Cleaning stresses my puppy dog.
Cleaning exhausts me.

Slightly more than three hours ... 13 hours and five minutes ... Becky will be here for an entire week!

I really should polish the silver..............