Humm, not sure if this is the right title but every time I've written a story I've used the first words to pop in my head..so wait there was another one Dust...well that's in the wind! Oh forgive me I'm trying to be bit lighthearted after yesterday's adventures..
Sorry dear readers; do I still have any? I mean I looked just now as I was trying to remember how to access my account and saw it's been almost a year since I blogged..
For one reason, I'm still on a phone and internet credits and let's not forget POWER OUTAGES...but the biggest is I spend most my time on Twitter..look me up @oldmommatajuri
It's another year and mostly I come back to my blog for memories. Facebook sucks now and often the "You Got Memories" are often the ones I don't want to forget but don't want "Hey your favorite memory is the image of your totaled car that killed your son".
But I'm sorry I digress. Dust in a way it's fitting for this month. It's fall here and ladies prepare their homes for winter. So dusting, cleaning and moving around furniture is common during this cooler time.
There was a time when I didn't really do a lot of housework GASP!! And I had a dear friend I envied on her wife skills. We were even because she envied my skills in anything but wife chores..
But today I decided that I would clean the only rug in my house. I specifically had tile put in every room not just the base tiles but nice tiles. Nonslip outdoor tiles for main areas and a faux wooden look tile for the bedrooms. I knew this was my last home and I wanted it to be all that we dreamed as well as suited for two people growing older and kids gone. Easy to care for and secure for elderly people.
Todat I decided to remove the rug and sweep the main salon. Wash the rug and prepare for cooler season. I have one rug it's 7x12 ft I think it's 3x5 meters. It's just a piece of thin rental house quality carpet. When I was in real estate I learned a few things plus my son in law Mike was trained in Tile and Carpets and the yr or so we helped with his family business of house repair and remodeling I learned more things.
Carpets have a thickness called Pile, a texture or Weave and a backing that varies and really makes all the difference on the quality of carpets..in the USA we also use Padding and Felt to help cushion the floors. So I know my carpets and tiles.
But after years of owning the best vacuums in the world Kirby, Kenmore and Dyson as well as owning a Rug Doctor I was a bit miffed moving here. From very young most girls know how to use a broom and a mop. Over the years we have seen a revolution in cleaning and I had gathered the best to take care of my home..then I moved.
We learned quickly that women here spent a good portion of their days on menial chores unlike their western counterparts and the dreaded cleaning of carpets is one chore i decided early on was NOT part of my life. Girls usually get this job and often its done by as many as you can gather because it is back breaking and really should be something men do..lol stop laughing..really ok im serious stop laughing.. think about it. Look at the rugs here they're huge. Not only must you carry them outside, wash but carry sopping wet to the edge of the house and toss them half over the walls so they drip dry in the sun..God forbid it rains or a dust storm and all your work is ruined.
But the tools you have to carry out chores here are one step up from dinosaur days..I've been here 9 yrs now and yet to see a real vacuum cleaner not a shop vac with attachments..that is not a vacuum! And ladies Mops and Brooms, I don't know how but you ladies go through hundreds if not thousands in a lifetime..I've had 1 broom since I moved here. When we bought the farm I bought 4 sets but the construction guys destroyed them. I have an inside set, an outside cleaning set and a set for outdoor bathroom..so currently 6 sets. Here it consists of a mop a broom.. the mops are the worst. When we came it was a white rag you rinsed and wrapped around a squeegee to wipe up the water you bucketed onto the floor..every few minutes you need to take it off, wring it out, wrap it again and wipe..doing this over and over until you get all the water. To my western mind that was insanity..I mean we ladies in USA stopped this nonsense back in the 60s. In my lifetime I've owned about every stage of mop developed and there are only a few I really called successful. But few yrs ago you finally got better mops. The one I prefer is like the Swiffer Sweeper..it's a long base with a pad that is removable great for dusting or low water cleaning of floors. I hate tons of water on floors.
I found a great broom at Ace Hardware yes they had one here but it's closed now..but it's the right broom for my cleaning style. I try to tell folks they don't use the right broom here for the task and that is half the reason you constantly have to buy new ones..watch a guy use a dust broom to sweep a sidewalk..pushing dirt and rocks and gravel with a dust broom! No you need a PUSH broom..
Then I see some ladies and boy does it bring back memories of my childhood but they use the cut branches of date trees to sweep carpets or outside areas. Reminds me of the straw broom we used as a kid to clean the area around the house or old dirt floors.
I wanted to add photos but I can't see that option so if I figure it out I will add them. But I've seen ladies here spend hours cleaning rugs..yes in the USA I spent hours cleaning with my Rug Doctor my carpets to reduce the crud that irritated my asthma that I now have..it was one reason I went for tiles..no dust, no dander..sweep and wipe. This last week I made it to 34 yrs of marriage, i cant say i was a good wife all those years. I tried to be. I came here and tried to learn what i could to fit in but i dont know if i ever will. But my house is tidy. My family fed and clean and at the end of the day its enough.
So I know I've said it before...I will write more. Check my Twitter..I write there. Until I get a computer where I can see more than 5 inches and type with 2 hands instead of a finger..visit me.
