Late-night cleansing

It’s the day before Moving Day, when all our belongings will be moved back into our rebuilt house. The last interior work is being completed; the workers were delayed by snow, which made it impossible to drive to our house for four days. The empty house is filthy. When I walked in, the hired cleaner, David, … read more Late-night cleansing

Taken to the cleaners

Just about fainted when I opened the bill from the cleaners: The total was $4,178.50. This is for cleaning all of the textiles that were covered with debris when the tree fell on our house. The tree punched five holes in the roof, including several on the main floor and a big one in our bedroom … read more Taken to the cleaners

Little plastic things

Today I had to do the chore I hate: cleaning before the cleaners. You know, where you go around and pick up all the crap that is lying around your house, before the cleaners come in, so that they can get to the surfaces that need to be cleaned. In between putting clothes away and breaking … read more Little plastic things

Scrap heaps

I waded into a quagmire today – and spent six hours in it. It’s been five weeks since the plumbing went to hell, and the pile of wet carpet and water-damaged stuff on the lower deck is starting to stink. Gypsum dust coats everything in the basement and a lot of the main floor, from the drywall cutting for the … read more Scrap heaps

Suddenly simpler

Sometimes my to-do list is so long, it makes me incredibly anxious. Even worse than the long to-do lists is the mess at my desk. Since November, even before I had a brain aneurysm, my desk has been covered with growing piles of paper: magazines, memorabilia, bills, receipts, cards, and random sheets of information. It corresponds to the … read more Suddenly simpler