House Cleaning

Today, I had the opportunity to add another solo activity to my already vast repertoire. It occurred by default and hence was not something I would have chosen to do on my own.

It is an activity which I gladly gave up a few years ago: cleaning my own house.

Lucy, my maid of about two years, was missing in action this past Friday. No phone call, no text. I assume she was also MIA for my other neighbors who use her because I didn't see her car on our cul-de-sac at all.

I was peaved, to put it lightly. I only use her twice a month; but I really need her because after two weeks the house is about as bad as I can stand it.

I thought maybe she had mixed up the calendar and forgotten what week it was. My week. I tried not to panic, but instead gave her the benefit of the doubt. She did just have her first baby and is most likely in the throes of trying to figure out life as a mom. A working mom at that.

I gave her a whole week of benefit. When I didn't receive a response from my queries, visions of pushing a vacuum cleaner, inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning the shower, and cleaning the toilets flooded back into my conscious. It had been so nice to pay for the privilege of shuttling those jobs off to the responsibility of another.

Now they are mine, along with the time drain and planning involved. Uuuggghh! Call off my yoga class and that extra quiet time trying to finish my book. Yes, these things are to be the sacrifice for the cleanliness of my home.

In the end, it wasn't really that bad. Yeah, it took up time that could have been used doing something pleasurable. Or, should I say, something else pleasurable because in its own right, I did enjoy the end result of clean aroma and track marks in the carpet. Voila, the hairballs are finally gone from the moldings along the wood floor in the foyer.

Nothing that a strategy and a strong vacuum cleaner couldn't achieve.

And, believe it or not, I was not truly solo. SSSSHHHHH, don't tell anyone. I had an accomplice. He wasn't there for my benefit but solely for his own. He sat on the Italian bishop's chair, swiping at the rag I used to clean the dust and pouncing on the Swiffer I used to rub the foot smudges off the wood floor. Yes, he was definitely in it for the entertainment factor.

He was Mojo the cat and I'm glad I could indulge his need for fun. Not like he doesn't have dozens of other cat toys around for that purpose. But, I guess that would be too easy. The entertainment factor was at a high, until I turned on the vacuum cleaner, and then he disappeared.

The house is nowhere near clean. It is exhausting enough to think that I still need to get to the bathrooms and the kitchen, and the kids rooms and the game room.

With any luck, Lucy will resurface. But, if she doesn't, I think that this solo activity will be very short-lived. Someone will have to take her place and I am determined that it will not be me.