Things are progressing

Yesterday afternoon, I took a bunch of time and cleaned house. First, because it needed it, and second, because I really need to get the piano tuner in (I am beginning not to be able to "hear" mistakes immediately). I guess there aren't that many pianos that need tuning right now because I have an appointment for 9 on Friday.

I also made an appointment for this afternoon to get an estimate to have the dead redbud tree in my backyard removed. I was lucky that it didn't crack during any of the storms we had earlier, and I want to get it out of there before we have any more. I suppose it is going to be expensive but I don't really have a choice. I got a recommendation from the Agricultural Extension Agent and it is someone that is bonded and insured, so if anything goes wrong it should be made right. (The tree is close to both the cable and electrical line that run into my house, which is another reason to get it out of here before the next windstorm).

Cleaning the house did make me feel less "meh." I think I do start to worry on some level when the place is a mess, in case someone decides to drop in on the spur of the moment. I know people understand that people get busy but I also know people sometimes think there's no excuse for leaves tracked in on the floor, or dust, or something.

(I will say, again: I wish I could have a few words with the person who thought white ceramic tile was a good floor choice for a kitchen. It's too much of a pain and a disruption at this point to consider having it all taken up and replaced with, I don't know, linoleum or something, but the tile never looks totally clean except for the five minutes right after you've scrubbed it.)

I did also change out the table cloth on my dining room table. This is a brand new (well, new to me) tablecloth: another thing I got on my weekend trip to McKinney:



I don't know for sure how old it is (the owner of the antique shop didn't know, either, other than that it looked like it hadn't been used much because it was so bright and had no stains on it). And even if it really isn't as old as I think (I believe these things have been reprinted from time to time), it was still a good price. And I really, really like it - it's very cheerful and it goes well in my dining room. (I do use a clear plastic cloth on top when I actually use the table - so I don't stain the cloth and have to change it and clean it so often.)