If these posts were titled this would be "The Cleaning Woman Cometh". This house is easy to clean since it is all one level. There is an overhang of the roof which shades the inside enough that dust does not show.

When we replaced the main carpet years ago I requested anything that would hide chili stains and cigarette burns. I got a blue/brown mottled high and low pile design that showed absolutely nothing. It doesn't look new and the hall area needs to be stretched to get rid of a rumpled effect but I'm still happy with the choice. I sprayed Resolve once by the front door for whimsey but it really didn't need it.

There is no basement and the laundry room is next to the kitchen. That floor is a white Solarian tile that mops clean in no time. I have a dandy washable O'Cedar mop that can be pressed into a yellow plastic device that sits on a bucket and used to squeeze the mop damp. All with ONE HAND. After 15 years the floor still has its original shine.

The big deal in any house is not the cleaning it's the picking up. Unopened mail stacks. Filing accumulates. Trash accumulates. Places need to be found for things not needed. If you don't watch daytime television or get on the computer you can easily keep a house presentable. But this year I have been slowed down by power outages, poor health and a general ennui and asked around for recommendations for a cleaning person.

For a month I waited for a friend's C.P. to call me but when she did it was only to decline the job opportunity. She suggested Tabitha who returned my call after two weeks to tell me she was interested but unable to talk as she was at her main place of employment, a medical center. Two weeks later she called to set an appointment to "talk and get to know each other" on Friday or Sunday. We agreed she would call me Friday (today) to work out the time.

It is noon and she still hasn't called. Maybe we should have talked about money on the phone but she was at work and kept being interrupted. Whatever happens the house is picked up and looks spotless. I've had several imaginary conversations with Tabitha and frankly I'm bored with this whole "getting to know you" conversation. I'm ready to clean, baby.