ALL THE THINGS!!!

Yup, I did it. I managed to CLEAN ALL THE THINGS! this afternoon. It took me from about 1:00 until just now, except for a short break to take the recycling to the drop-off point and to run by the uni library to donate some books I had been planning to donate. (The head librarian, who is a friend of mine, was happy to see them. In particular, I gave the two big Folio Press art books - one on Leonardo and one on Michelangelo - that were freebees a couple years when I rejoined Folio. They're very nice books, but they're HUGE and they take up a lot of room, and I found I never really looked at them. So maybe some of our art students can benefit from having access to them. The head librarian did comment that even though their budget had been cut again, they were still doing pretty well on acquisitions, thanks to donations from faculty. (And now I'm thinking - if I get a little "mad money" like from reviewing textbooks, maybe I'll order and donate a bunch of various field guides, I know our collection is weak on those)).

So anyway. I cleaned ALL THE THINGS!!! (well, almost - I didn't wash the windows (they didn't need it) and my sewing room - which no one but I see - is still kind of a mess, and I think getting it clean and organized is going to be a longer term project).

I also used the new "steam pocket" tool I bought last week. I had been thinking of getting one of these (or a steam mop) for a while. (I opted for the small handheld thing because it seemed useful for more purposes - you can steam clothing or hanging curtains with it, and steam clean countertops, things like that).

It's pretty brilliant, especially for cleaning the tub (one of my least favorite chores) and for cleaning stuck-on stuff off tile floors. (I had had a carton of something - cans of pop or maybe water bottles - that got damp and left part of the cardboard adhered to the kitchen floor in one corner. The steam cleaner broke up the cardboard and un-stuck it, and while I still had to sweep up the bits, it was preferable to sitting there scraping at it with some kind of tool.) I suspect the steamer would also work for removing wallpaper, as long as the wallboard or plaster behind it wouldn't be hurt by lots of steam.

And besides, there's something appealingly Mad Scientist about being able to clean surrounded by huge gouts of steam. (And it's also warm. I suspect working with the thing will be more pleasant in the winter.) And it appeals to the germophobic part of me because they claim it sterilizes as it cleans. (Heh. You can probably eat off my kitchen floor right now: I swept it, then used an electrostatic cloth, then wetmopped it, and then finally steamed it. Yes, that maybe seems a little compulsive but I have WHITE tile in there, and it's really heck to get it clean.)

So: my house is clean. I decided I'm going to get dinner OUT (partly so I don't wind up cussing when I drop food on my clean kitchen floor but mainly because I'm TIRED, y'all). And then I'm going to do the 1/2 hour or so of piano practice I still need to do. And then, if I have the energy, write my Sunday School lesson for this week. (I might. I find that cleaning kind of revs me up and then I'm all excited and happy because my house is so clean).

And then, finally, before bed I'm going to take a bath (with nice bath salts- and the way my back and arms feel right now, I think I will need the epsom salts in it) in my nice clean (and sterile!) tub.