Some Housekeeping

Today we got really ambitious and managed to go through a huge pile of assorted detritus that was sitting for weeks in our upstairs hallway, throw away a lot of stuff, and put away the rest. It was a combination of books, CDs, magazines, old birthday cards, newsletters, newspapers, and souvenir programs from various plays and musical performances that had managed to gather in the room DH uses as his office. A few weeks ago we had decided to use our brand new Bissell rug shampooing machine in that room, so DH put all the offending debris out into the hallway, and there it had sat.

Once we got through that pile we were truly inspired and then went through the bookcases in the office and put all the books we didn't want to keep into two big boxes, the contents of which can be donated or sold at a yard sale.

DH then got really ambitious and cleaned the windows in the room we fondly, and truthfully, refer to as "The Cat's Room," and we even put back up the clean curtains we had washed two weeks ago!

And if that wasn't enough housekeeping for one day, I spent this evening playing around with my blog's sidebar, cleaning out a few things I didn't think I needed to keep there, and adding my shiny new blog bling from the recent awards.

While I was at it I added a couple of new blog links and moved my two other blogs to their own section called "My Other Blogs." (Real original, aren't I?)

This sudden fall weather must have inspired the old Fall Housecleaning gene to kick in. It's strange to think that when I was growing up, my mother did Spring and Fall Housecleaning, and it involved major housework. Taking down all the curtains and washing them (she had different ones for summer and winter, too!)...cleaning all the windows....I remember my dad (who happened to be afraid of heights, so I'm amazed he did this) sitting on the windowsill with the top half of his body OUTSIDE the house, cleaning the outside of the windows.

We're lucky if we do that stuff every two or three years! And we're also lucky if we have one decent set of curtains for each window, let alone different ones for different seasons.

It makes me wonder how important any of that is, or ever was. I don't know many people who still do that kind of cleaning. Most women I know work, and who has time to do all that when you have only two days a week to get all the errands and other chores done?

Are we any worse off now that we don't do two major housecleaning events each year? Are our families any less healthy? Our houses that much the worse for wear? I don't think so.

Maybe when the tradition started it was truly necessary, because they didn't have the kind of modern conveniences we have today, such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners, or Bissell rug shampooers. I suppose it made sense back then to take up the rugs and beat them in the back yard. Or wash all the curtains a lot because you couldn't use a vacuum attachment to clean them. But times have changed, and I don't think anyone will be going back to that type of housecleaning any time soon.

A Mixed Bag

I have several small updates to impart so I thought I'd put them all in one place.

First of all, for you grammar mavens, you'll be happy to know that my mom has posted a new entry on her blog, Marge's Words to the Wise. So please check it out because otherwise you may be one of the unfortunates who are using the expression "beg the question" incorrectly, and you wouldn't want that!

Next, I'm very happy to report the progress on our deck, also known as the Intrepid. It is 99% finished, and it is looking good! The only thing left to do is to stain it with waterproof stain, but that won't be for a few weeks, as the wood has to dry out. I'll take some pictures this weekend and post them so you can see it for yourselves!

Tonight on my way home from work I stopped and bought two sizable tropical plants that were on sale at our local supermarket for only $9.99 each. I figured they would look good on the deck. This weekend DH and I can put together the new table and chairs we had already bought, and all will be ready in time for his parents' visit for Father's Day on Sunday. Thankfully, weather predictions are good, so the traditional Father's Day barbecue should be able to take place on the new deck.

I think Diva actually preferred it before the railings went up. She loved lying out on the flat surface and being able to see all around her. Hopefully she will figure out that she can sit up on the bench along the main railing and watch from there instead.

Last, but not least, I have a short new post on Medicana today, inspired by a CNN article my friend sent to me.

That concludes this evening's update!

Surprise!

Returning home after a week always involves some surprises, especially in the garden. The weeds that you thought you had carefully destroyed before you left always recover in your absence and suddenly shoot up about three feet. The grass gets long. Roses that were mere buds when you left are now in full bloom.

But this time there was more -- much more.

When we left we had just gotten the approval from the town for our deck to be built, and our carpenter was going to work on it in our absence.

The deck had been designed carefully using a fancy computerized design system, with all the measurements carefully depicted. Originally we'd thought we'd have it built 10 feet wide and 23 feet long (the width of the house). But our carpenter said for the same price he could do 12 feet wide. It seemed like a good idea so we said that would be fine.

While we were at the Cape, our carpenter called once to reconfirm the width of the steps that we wanted, and then told us he'd try to have it done when we got home.

We arrived late in the afternoon, eagerly anticipating our new deck, and we were not disappointed.

There it was, in all its glory - not done yet, but done enough for us to see what it looks like.

The thing is HUGE. HUMONGOUS. VERY BIG. Viewed from the back door, it's like looking out over the deck of the Intrepid. The boards seem to stretch on into infinity; there is enough room on this structure to fit both of the sets of wooden tables and chairs that we have on our patio plus the new table and chairs we just bought for the deck, the grill, numerous potted plants, and possibly a large group of dancing girls (that was DH's idea).

We walked into the back yard to observe it from a different angle. To my relief, from the back yard it does not seem quite as enormous, and I'm hoping our neighbors do not think it is some kind of monstrosity.

We are thinking that once the railings get put on and we actually do put furniture and other accoutrements onto its surface that it will start looking downright cozy. And the wood has to be stained to a darker color, so it will become less noticeable. I think. And we're going to dig up the old "patio" (which was really the leftover cement floor from the long-defunct garage) and transform it into a lovely English style garden (we hope). So in the end it will all blend together nicely.

Diva loves it. She has already realized that of course we built it just for her and has claimed it as her own. The only problem is that she has not quite figured out that she is supposed to go up and down the steps and instead launches herself over the side, dropping precipitously about 4 feet down to the surface of the yard. So far she has not broken a leg but I'm sure it is only a matter of time. (I assume this behavior will stop once the railings are in place.)

One thing is for sure - when it's ready for habitation we can have a heck of a good deck-warming party. Because for sure this deck is meant for PARTYING!