Sympathy, Understanding, a Maid. If my house looks like this now, what will it be in July when everything's ready to harves and preserve at once? Three grandskids here last week one this week. It was supposed to rain, we need it desparately, rain, a time to straighten up at least a little, but alas, there was little rain. So I got to plant more potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, so I'm not complaining about that, had to chase down a chicken and a rooster, you know what they can do to a garden, had to ventilate the chickie house better, don't want to roast them before their time...had to go to town to buy the plants (maybe next year...) bake a cake for my husband's birthday even if it's not til June, well you know how 5 year old grandsons can be:~} Little time for the forum, maybe I'm having withdrawl.

Well, now that I feel better, I'll clean up the kitchen o I can cook supper, and make the bed so I don't have to before nighty night time(that's not fun)and hunt for the rest of the things to plant tonight. Thanks for listening. God Bless..........Feel free to express not only your sympathy, understanding, and maid service, but also you frustrations.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 04, 2001

Answers

Mama's Mama, on a winter's day,
Milked the cows, and fed them hay,
Slopped the hogs, saddled the mule,
And got the children off to school.
Did a washing, mopped the floors,
Washed the windows and did some chores,
Cooked a dish of home dried fruit,
Pressed her husband's Sunday suit.
Swept the parlor, made the bed,
Baked a dozen loaves of bread,
Split some wood and lugged it in,
Enough to fill the kitchen bin.
Cleaned the lamps and put in oil,
Stewed some apples she thought might spoil,
Churned the butter, baked a cake,
Then exclaimed "For mercy's sake,
the calves have got out of the pen!"
Went out and chased them in again.
Gathered the eggs and locked the stable,
Returned to the house and set the table.
Cooked a supper that was delicious,
And afterwards washed all the dishes.
Fed the cat, sprinkled the clothes,
Mended a basket full of hose.
Then opened the organ and began to play,
"When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day".


-- Eric J Methven (e_methven@btinternet.com), April 04, 2001.

Cindy, There are those days...weeks aren't there? You have my sympathy and understanding. Eric, thanks for posting the poem - it is one of my favorites and I always have a copy of it nearby.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), April 04, 2001.

Cindy, You can come visit me in 'Bama any time because my house is ALWAYS a mess...no matter how I try.

I can't blame it on the kids anymore because the last one bought his own house in September and moved off! So it's me!

I can't tend to the 20 baby chicks, 18 rabbits, the two dogs that keep escaping from the pen, build a newer and bigger dog fence, build a chicken house, keep up with my writing for BOTH newspapers, and then keep a spotless house! It just WON'T happen!!!

I've given up long ago!

So take heart! We're all in this together!!!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), April 04, 2001.

We use lower wattage bulbs to keep the house cleaner. If you can't see it, it don't need dusting. Saves on electricity too.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 04, 2001.

I practice Zen Buddhist type housecleaning. The non violent kind. If the dust and other things just lie there peacefully, I return the kindness and leave it (them) alone.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), April 04, 2001.

I don't know about anyone else, Cindy, but I'd rather be shoveling "whatever" in my barn than doing housework anyday!!! Although I really love cooking.

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), April 04, 2001.

Eric, I have an old copy out of the paper of that poem that my grandmother had clipped!!! Not my energy level. Cindy, I look at things with different eyes. Look at what is done, not what is undone. There is always going to be a million of undone things to keep us worrying if we let them. Enjoy the process and enjoy the journey. No dress rehersals here. love - diane

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 04, 2001.

Thanks, Lynn, for a new way to say that housekeeping isn't my thing. When I go after the cobwebs the kids think there's something wrong with me.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), April 05, 2001.

I vacuum more often now because I got tired of my children asking who was coming to visit every time I got out the vacuum cleaner! I seem to be in good company!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), April 05, 2001.

Sure enjoyed the comments about house cleaning,,,Jean and Bonnie,,I got a big chuckle out of both your posts. Kids are a constant source of smiles and the unexpected. It is time to start some "thinking" about Spring cleaning,,but I don't get done thinking and deciding in a hurry,,usually sometime during the summer after I am done with my outside yard work and gardens. I always figured the housework will be there when I am ready for it. ERIC I enjoyed the poem,, thanks for sharing it. I will keep a copy of it. ,,,,Forecast for more snow,,can you believe!!!Take care ....

-- Patsy, MT (cozyhollow-gal@care2.com), April 08, 2001.

I have the same problem a couple of others do -- when I start housecleaning, my daughter wants to know if we have company coming!! Either that, or she thinks we are moving. When we moved here ten years ago, it was the 33rd move in my (then) 33 years of life (okay, I just gave a BIG clue to my age, LOL!!). This is the longest I've ever lived in one house in my life -- sometimes I wish we were moving, as at least I could go through everything and get rid of what we don't really need! Normally I don't have time to do that.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 08, 2001.

I love you people! I thought I was the only one that had a constantly messy house. I like others would rather work outside 8 hours than spend 20 minutes cleaning house. My kids also ask if company is coming when we clean. I did have hopes that when my kids were grown and gone that I could clean once and it would stay that way but I see from your posts that isn't going to happen. At least my barn is clean isn't that what is important? Joanie

-- Joanie (ber-gust@prodigy.net), April 11, 2001.

My rule for myself is I have to clean up the house BEFORE I can go outside and play! It works for me. I have to do dishes, straighten up everything, dust and mop floors (after I put all the dogs out for the day), dust, get laundry and so forth. This is after I go out and milk. Of course, Steve and I don't have little kids, so I don't have food on the walls, sandwiches in the VCR, or toys all over the place, so it's quite a bit easier for me. I'll tell you what, having that woodstove outside sure does make it allot easier on the cleaning!

My house looks real good about 9 or 10 in the morning, but then when Steve and I relax in the living room after supper, it's a mess again! I was kidding him a couple days ago, that when he comes home from work, the house is clean, when he leaves for work the next morning, it's all messed up! I know, allot of it is me too, but I have to tease him. We have our farm on the market, so people are comming up the road to see, and I KNOW they will want to see inside, so that makes me keep it clean too.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 12, 2001.