I'm going to whine more about stuff.
I like my house in the neighborhood. I like that I have room in this house to leave all my paints and works in progress on a table. I like that the kitchen is spacious and airy, that we have an extra room that makes it easy and convenient when we have guests (especially when our 28 year old son comes home for the weekend). I like that RR can watch baseball in the living room and I can retire to our bedroom at the back of the house to read and/or nap. I like that the dining room table does dual duty as my writing space and yet it can open way out for family events that require space. We have a small wall closet in our bedroom but, in the upstairs loft area (that provides RR with office space), there is a catch all closet where off season clothes can be stored. I like it. There are two bathrooms in the house. Do I need to say how convenient that is?
I like the generous half acre parcel in town that allows us room for fruit trees, vegetable garden, flowers, and a fenced dog run.
So where's the whine? That would be maintenance. All these "things" need to be tended to. I could just ignore the those dirty (but beautiful) south facing windows. I could allow the crumbs and dog hair to simply sit in the corners and sulk. I could let the kitchen counters and bathroom sinks gather gunk at the faucets. I could let the leaves on the house plants sink with accumulated detritus and just say I enjoy the dusty leaf look. Ditto the blinds on the bedroom windows. Don't you think dust just adds some texture and interest to the otherwise boring cream colored blinds? That yard is lovely but, unless you prefer the natural look, you need to spend hours on the raking and sweeping. Regular maintenance (dishes, laundry and occasional sweep of the floor) I can handle. It's the serious vacuuming, dusting, clean the bathroom, wash the windows, blah blah blah, that I resent. And get mad at myself for not doing. If I didn't have the house and the stuff, I wouldn't have this discussion with myself. If I lived in a small, even condo sort of place, I wouldn't have to maintain it all. Or, I could just stop maintaining the house to "decent" standards and do what I want with my time. My choice.
What do you do?
Ah these things are super annoying yes - but unfortunately they are Nncessities :)
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily necessities - one COULD just let it be dusty and "natural". I think a significant number of people do just that. :)
DeleteI think happy thoughts; it's summertime, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and btw, did I mention it's summertime?
ReplyDeleteYAY! Summertime!
Deletexoxoxoxox
I do a little at a time so it doesn't see so overwhelming. When i'm doing the shitty stuff I usually put on music, it helps to have my favorite tunes on. Then I just sing my way thru instead of gritting my teeth. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a good strategy - doing a little at a time - but then it hangs over me all the time! What I prefer is to block out several hours every so often and just clean. But it works best when I have the house to myself. That seldom happens these days.
DeleteAgreed, good music can help - that usually depends on my mood. If I am tired or cranky, silence is best for me. :)
I hear you and I've been thinking many of these same thoughts. I'd like a nice simple house in the country with no lawn to care for. But for city life I can see a condo being a good solution for just my wife and I.
ReplyDeleteBest solution? Have tons of money and pay people to do all of my house cleaning and maintenance. I can dream, right?
Lee
A Faraway View
YES! Dreaming is good! I do that ALL the time. I even dream about leaving my position with the school district so I can stay home and do the flippin chores ..... and go to the beach, and write more, and paint more, and read more - oh yeah, and do those chores.
DeleteI tend to do massive cleaning sessions in the days before someone will be visiting. (I'm doing one of those sessions today, as a matter of fact.) It's not exactly a peaceful way to clean, but I think the stress is what keeps me motivated. It's not a good strategy, but it's a strategy. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI used to do that too, Dana - clean wildly when someone was coming over. That's how it was in the house where I grew up.
DeleteTrue confession time: No one comes over much anymore! Okay, well, family comes all the time but they know me and love me and would never even notice dust and detritus.....the real guests? I don't do that much entertaining!
Ideally, I try to block off a little time each week and do some of the chores. Some weeks that works better than others.
ReplyDeleteOf course, paying someone to help out is also a good idea.
I guess paying someone necessitates having a budget where that can be arranged.....hmmm, perhaps I can eliminate something else? Like eating? and that would mean fewer dishes and kitchen cleaning too!
DeleteI get to the boring, never ending house maintenance when it’s noticeable to me. And I have to say, I notice it way before Ross does.
ReplyDeleteI do have Kelly and Sue. They come every three weeks. It’s a nice break.
We just got an estimate from a window and house washing service. They will wash all windows inside and out,(including the sunroom) do the screens and power wash the house. The price is a little steep, but we can cut back on other things for a while. That’s how much I think it’s worth it.
Gotcha on that< Lynda. Michael never notices the dust or the detritus! Completely oblivious.
DeleteI've thought about having a window service come out too but it's hard for me to justify the expense when I have leisure time over these next 54 days.....
Oh, man, I'm with you on all of the maintenance stuff. I'm ready for self-cleaning bathrooms!
ReplyDeleteHow northern in CA are you?
Yes! Self-cleaning bathrooms! A fortune waiting to be had in revenues from such an invention!
DeleteI live in western Sonoma County, about 60 miles north of San Francisco. The nearest "big city" is Santa Rosa, about twenty minutes east of here and the glorious Pacific Ocean is about 8 miles (but a beautiful twenty minute drive) west of here.
I'm in Santa Rosa.
DeleteSeriously? Then you are the (geographically) closest blog friend I have! How cool is that?
DeleteYep, that's where I am. I do know a couple of other people in the nearish area, but neither of them have been active with their blogs for a while.
DeleteMy name is JT O'Neill - I barely keep my head above water as a guidance counselor / default assistant principal at the in town middle school in Sebby. I am in awe of real writers like you. I recently coordinated a Career Day for the 6th-8th graders. My two favorite presenters were county supe Efren Carrillo (LOVE that guy) and Petaluma SF and YA author Michael Kurland. I am determined to allow the influences from those two speakers to shape some of my future.
DeleteReal writers like me? I don't think I've ever been referred to that way before. heh
DeleteI'm not familiar with Michael Kurland; I'll have to look him up.
When school starts back up, if you ever want me for anything, let me know. I do a lot of stuff at my kids' school and have done Q&A type things at a couple of others.
I invite people over and then I'm motivated to clean. With two kids and two cats, my house is in a constant state of disaster. I don't mind it, but I realize that others don't want to sit in a chair and get covered in fur.
ReplyDeleteTrust me when I say that when it comes to housekeeping/maintenance, you're better off not knowing what I do (or don't do, as the case much more likely is)... ;)
ReplyDelete