Dust and the Futility of Dusting

 
Dust
by Amy, from She Wears Many Hats

There are things that come around,
But then they go away,
And things that no matter what I do they always want to stay.

I find it in the corner,
Then on the ceiling fans,
And even inside the cabinets, which I just don’t understand.

I battle it in the morning,
I battle it late at night,
But every time I turn around it’s right back there in sight.

This particular particulate
Is determined to never leave,
I suppose I’ll welcome it with open arms to keep my sanity.

Falkland "Changes" from Spunky Eclectic

Vanilla Sock - first of the pair

 I admit it - I am NOT a clean fanatic. I used to be. I can recall that horrible feeling of despair upon seeing dust bunnies or muddy tracks on the floor. These days, though, the sight of dirt just doesn't bother me much. Call me lazy, call me a slattern, call me what you will, but I quite simply have better (read: more fun) things to do than pursue the ever-receding goal of a spotless house.

After all that ranting, you might be surprised to know that I have just finished a four-hour cleaning binge. And this was not "light" housecleaning, oh, no. I was down on my knees with vinegar and hot hot hot water, scrubbing the kitchen floor. I cleaned and polished the dining room table and chairs. Abe and I turned the dining room rug around to reduce wear on the side nearest the kitchen.

I'm not done yet. FAR, far, far from it. After I post this, I'm going into the kitchen to tackle our chopping block. This is a table on casters that my father made for us way back in 1982. He used cherry and maple that my grandfather cut 100 years ago in the Maine woods. We use this table every single day. It is a cooking/food prep station extraordinaire, and it needs cleaning. Not the top surface - we keep that clean (although it could use a good sanding and tung oil finish) - but the legs and the lower shelf and the casters. I'm armed with a good wood cleaner/polish and I know the wood will be thirsty and grateful.


After our lovely table (thanks, Dad!) is clean, I'm going to take a break. For the rest of the day, methinks. After all, there's only so much housecleaning a body can take.

See? More progress on Malthese Flowers shawl.