Dust vs. Snow

There's been lots of it lately.  If you live in the Northeast, you've had snow beyond measure.  If you live in my house, it's dust I'm talking about.

And though shoveling is hard, hard work, and you can't wait until Spring to get groceries, if you leave it long enough, the snow will take care of itself.  It will melt and go away.

Non-melting dust from my guest room floor

Not so with dust.  My experiment mixed in with other Things I get to do today has just confirmed it. Dust does not melt. Dust does not go away. Dust on the guest room floor will continue to accumulate over time until it becomes a health hazard from tripping over the dust bison.  Just saying for all you who were contemplating the same experiment, forget it!  Get the dust mop and clean it up!  Now!

We Are So Honored

Too much in a hurry to sit still for a picture, our new
exterior house cleaner:  Ruby Crowned Kinglet.
Just a tiny fleck of his crown is visible.

Everyone is on board.  The house, in its sprucing up, has apparently put out a call to the Universe.

Working over the trellis

Even the birds, little tiny ones at that, have shown up to make their contributions.

Under the eaves, over the eaves--
we received a full inspection

Ready to have another go at the dining room window frame.

I noticed him first gleaning bugs from under the eaves at the back porch. Shortly he was back checking around each of the windows.










This sweet, tiny Ruby Crowned Kinglet has become the latest member of the crew to make sure we look sharp on the outside (since I've been paying attention to the interior only of late.)










When he checks out the window frame, his little crown flashes a huge, brilliant orange/red flare.  And because of this little guy's attention to the outside, I took a look at it myself.  "Wash the exterior walls" will find its way to Things I get to do today (but not until several tomorrows into the future.)  At the present, I really appreciate his help!

Don't Call Sherlock

The cleaning tool

It sucks.  And that's what it is supposed to do.  But last time it was called to duty, it wasn't breathing well, let alone sucking well.











Common vernacular for something undesirable aside, vacuum cleaners are supposed to suck.  My highly efficient cleaning tool seemed a bit asthmatic the other day.  Three passes over some thread, and the weak little thread was still holding its own with the carpet.

Gaping hose connection.  Duhhhhh!

Being a practical sort of gal, I usually investigate the why's of a mis or mal function.  But this time I stubbornly wheezed ahead.  Not until I was nearly finished with the whole house did it really click with me to check it out.  And wouldn't you know, one of the hoses was loose, letting most of the suck action take place at its end instead of with the brushes on the bottom.





Watson would be so proud of me, and "call Sherlock" wasn't even on the list of Things I get to do today.  But if I'm all that Handy Andy, I have to be at least clever enough to vacuum the floor well the first time.  How hard can that be?*


*A faint and wispy memory just floated up about a similar experience with a carpet cleaner that left gallons of hot water in the bedroom carpet instead of pulling it out into the tank along with the grit and grim/grime.