A busy New Year's day

I started the day out right--I cleaned my coffee maker with vinegar and water.  So many germs can grow in your automatic coffee pot, you should clean it often. The smell is strong enough to open your sinuses!

Follow these steps to a quick coffee maker cleaning:

1. Empty your coffee maker, rinse the carafe and ensure that the filter basket is properly set and empty. Remove the permanent coffee filter as well as the water filter, if applicable.
2. Fill the water reservoir with a solution of equal parts of water and regular white household vinegar.
3. Run it through a drip cycle.
4. When the cycle is finished, turn off your coffeemaker but allow the water/vinegar to sit in the carafe for a few minutes, to remove any scale deposits, then discard the solution.
5. You should run clear water (no vinegar) through your coffee maker at least twice, allowing your brewer to cool down between cycles. This will remove any lingering vinegar residue.

1. This is a good time to thoroughly wipe the exterior of your coffee maker and clean the removable filter basket, permanent filter and carafe with hot soapy water. A change of water filter is also a good idea if your brewer has one.
2. https://www.thespruce.com/clean-coffee-maker-with-vinegar-1907384?

Then I signed up for a class at Coursera, an online education site from colleges and universities all over the world.  I picked "Understanding clinical research: behind the statistics."  I worked in the Veterinary Medicine Library for 14 years and although I still love reading the medical literature, my eyes glaze over when it comes to statistics. There are several levels of classes, and I chose this one also because it is free unless you want credit.  I don't plan on needing a credit course, so free is good.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/clinical-research/home/welcome

I've printed off the "keynotes" which go along with the videos and text--85 pages.  I also signed in to my "peer" group, which aren't really my peers--medical students, pharmaceutical reps, doctors, etc. But they are from all over the world--one poor guy is from Syria and living in Ukraine!  And I'm off!

And I spent some time looking at old Fulton J. Sheen videos.  His may be the best explanation of Communism and prophecy of the future ever. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen did this program in 1955. He was a hater of Communism, but lover of the Russian people. He reads from Dostoevsky who in 1871 predicted what was to come for his country, and possibly ours. He died in 1979, and since he was from central Illinois, his pronunciation sounds fine to me. "Warshington."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE9FNwG5myA

How to clean your mattress

 The original link is broken, but I found this gross, disgusting detail at LiveScience about what's going on in our mattresses. "According to materials published by Ohio State University, a typical used mattress may have 100,000 to 10 million mites inside. Ten percent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings. Mites prefer warm, moist surroundings such as the inside of a mattress when someone is on it. One of their favorite foods is dead skin, and people shed about one fifth of an ounce of the stuff every week, some of which surely ends up flaking into your mattress. (Also gross: About 80 percent of the material seen floating in a sunbeam is, in fact, flakes of dead skin.)"

May be easier to buy a new one, or hire someone to do it. Consumer Reports suggests: https://www.consumerreports.org/mattresses/how-to-clean-a-mattress/

Downsizing for seniors

Everyone I know has this problem.  Stuff.  Except maybe my cousin.  She moves too often to accumulate much. Today I stopped at Half-Price Books and bought. . . are you ready for this. . . .Bill and Hillary paper dolls.  At $2.00 it was such a bargain.  I also bought yet another How to draw book.  We must have at least 5.  If books could tell you how to draw or paint, I'd be a famous artist.

We actually thought we were downsizing when we bought this condo in 2001.  And we were, sort of. The problem is it actually has an attic over the garage and storage space in the basement, two storage areas we didn't have in our home on Abington.

Here's advice from AARP on what to get rid of.

Know anyone who collects paper dolls?

I just walked by the sink

Do we share this problem?

Household hacker-Salt tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPSb3Nzk0Og#t=176

Some of these I knew, some I’d forgotten.

Cleaning silver plate and silver pieces the easy way

I like to set a pretty table, so every now and then the silverplate needs to be polished. That's a pain unless you learned this 5 minute trick from the internet.
1 Boil the amount of water sufficient to cover items you wish to clean (silverware, silverplate, silver platters,silver bowls or the like).
2 Tear a piece of aluminum foil to fit the bottom of the cleaning vessel; add the boiling water and baking soda, 1 Tbsp soda to 1 cup of water (Decrease amount of water and soda if only using a small amount of water). Stir together briefly.
3 Immediately submerge your tarnished silver items in the solution, making sure all surfaces are covered with the water . After only a very few minutes you will have beautifully clean and glowing silver!
4 Remove cleaned items and rinse well with clean warm water. Dry with a soft lint-free kitchen towel and go back to blogging.

My china gifts from my mother, my thrift store silver plate which got polished this morning, my garage sale chairs, my grandmother’s glassware and dessert bowls, a vase from friends in Finland.

Four low flow toilets

It was bound to happen with 4 low flow toilets in our house.  But I have successful “plunged” and we are free flowing again.  I had to buy a new plunger, as the old style don’t fit the angles.  It was a Waxman Heavy Duty Toilet Plunger.  It’s black plastic and has sort of accordion pleats.  There are models that have little containers, but this one is larger. I looked at the tag after I was finished, and happy to see not only was it made in the USA, but right here in Ohio.

Waxman Industries, Inc. markets specialty plumbing, and floor and surface protection products to retailers, primarily mass merchandisers, do-it-yourself warehouse home centers, and home improvement centers. It offers various products from plumbing repair to floorcare, and faucets to showers. Waxman Industries, Inc. also manufactures, packages, sources, and assembles plumbing products for industrial, OEM, and wholesale distribution customers. The company was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Bedford Heights, Ohio.

45 Uses for White Vinegar

1. Freshen up the fridge. Clean the shelves and walls with a solution of half water and half vinegar.
2. Brighten coffee cups and teacups. Gently scrub stains with equal parts vinegar and salt (or baking soda).
3. Eliminate odors. Swab plastic containers with a cloth dampened with vinegar.
4. Kill bathroom germs. Spray full-strength vinegar around the sink and tub. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
5. Save a garment. To remove light scorch marks on fabrics, rub gently with vinegar. Wipe with a clean cloth. This technique also works on antiperspirant stains.
6. Tidy up a toilet. Pour a cup or more of diluted white distilled vinegar into the bowl. Let sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with a toilet brush and flush.
7. Lose the carpet stain. Make a paste of 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and ¼ cup salt or baking soda. Rub into the stain and let dry. Vacuum the residue the next day. (Always test an out-of-sight part of the carpet first.)
8. Renew paint brushes. To remove old paint, place brushes in a pot with vinegar. Soak for an hour, then turn on the stove and bring the vinegar to a simmer. Drain and rinse clean.
9. Wipe off a dirty faucet. To get rid of lime buildup, make a paste of 1 teaspoon vinegar and 2 tablespoons salt. Apply to sink fixtures and rub with a cloth.
10. Stop static cling. Add ½ cup of white distilled vinegar to your wash cycle. The acid reduces static and keeps dryer lint from sticking to your clothes.
11. Make old socks look new. Get the stains out of old socks and sweaty gym clothes by soaking them in a vinegar solution. Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring to a boil and drop in the stained clothes. Let them soak overnight, and in the morning stained clothes are fresh and bright.
12. Restore handbags and shoes. Wipe white distilled vinegar on scuffed leather bags and shoes. It will restore their shine and help hide the marks.
13. Banish weeds. Pour white distilled vinegar on the weeds growing in the cracks of your walkway and driveway. Saturate the plant so the vinegar reaches the roots.
14. Liven droopy flowers. Don’t throw out cut flowers once they start to wilt. Instead, add two tablespoons of white vinegar and one teaspoon of sugar to a quart of water. Pour the solution into your vase, and the flowers will perk up.
15. Put an end to itching. Dab a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar on mosquito bites and insect stings. It will stop them from itching and help disinfect the area so they heal faster.
16. Whiten your teeth. Brush your teeth once a week with white distilled vinegar. Dip your toothbrush into the vinegar and brush thoroughly. It will help prevent bad breath, too.
17. Make nail polish last longer. Before you apply your favorite polish, wipe your nails with a cotton ball soaked in white distilled vinegar. The clean surface will help your manicure last.
18. Keep car windows frost-free. Prevent windows from frosting over in a storm by coating them with a solution of three parts white distilled vinegar to one part water. The acidity hinders ice, so you won’t have to wake up early to scrape off your car.
19. Let your dog shine. Spray your dog with one cup white distilled vinegar mixed with one quart water. The solution is a cheap alternative to expensive pet-care products, plus the vinegar will help repel pests like fleas and ticks.
20. Battle litter-box odor. Cat litter can leave behind an unwelcome smell. Eliminate it by pouring a half-inch of white distilled vinegar into the empty litter box. Let stand for 20 minutes, then rinse with cold water.
21. Kill bacteria in meat. Marinating in vinegar knocks out bacteria and tenderizes the meat. Create a marinade by adding ¼ cup balsamic vinegar for every 2 pounds of meat to your own blend of herbs and spices. Let the meat sit anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours, depending on how strong you want the flavor, then cook it in the morning without rinsing.
22. Prevent cracked eggs. Prevent eggs from cracking as they hard-boil by adding two tablespoons of white vinegar to the water. The eggs will stay intact, and the shells will peel off more easily when you’re ready to eat them.
23. Steam away a microwave mess. Fill a small bowl with equal parts hot water and vinegar, and place it in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. As the steam fills the microwave, it loosens the mess, making clean up a breeze.
24. Repair DVDs. If you have a worn DVD that skips or freezes, wipe it down with white distilled vinegar applied to a soft cloth. Make sure the DVD is completely dry before reinserting it into the player.
25. Get those last drops. If you can’t get that final bit of mayonnaise or salad dressing out of the jar, dribble in a few drops of vinegar. Put the cap on tightly and shake. The remaining condiments will slide out.
26. Rinse fruits and vegetables. Add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar to one pint water. Use the mixture to wash fresh fruits and vegetables, then rinse thoroughly. The solution kills more pesticide residue than does pure water.
27. Brighter Easter eggs. Before your kids dye Easter eggs, mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar with ½ cup of hot water, then add food coloring. The vinegar keeps the dye bright and prevents the color from streaking.
28. Loosen a rusted screw. Pour vinegar onto the screw, and it will easily unstick.
29. Remove gum. To remove gum from fabric or hair, heat a small bowl of vinegar in the microwave. Pour the warm vinegar over the gum, saturating the area. The gum will dissolve.
30. Keep cheese from molding. Wrap cheese in a vinegar-soaked cloth, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate.
31. Renew a loofah. Soak your loofah in equal parts vinegar and water for 24 hours to dissolve soap residue, then rinse in cold water.
32. Remove wax. If you get melted candle wax on your wood furniture or floors, gently wipe it away with a cloth soaked in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water.
33. Take a relaxing bath. Add ½ cup of vinegar to warm bath water for a cheap spa session at home. The vinegar removes dead skin, leaving you feeling soft and smooth.
34. Brighten your hair. Remove hair product buildup by rinsing a tablespoon of vinegar through your hair once a month.
35. Freshen fabrics. Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and spritz your home to neutralize odors in fabrics, carpets, shoes or any sprayable surface.
36. Erase crayon. If your kids get crayon marks on the walls or floor, dip a toothbrush in white vinegar and gently scrub. The vinegar breaks down the wax, making for an inexpensive, nontoxic way to clean up after children.
37. Sticky stickers. Don’t scratch at the residue left by stickers or price tags. Instead, apply vinegar to the gunk, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe the glue away.
38. Clean the dishwasher and coffee pot. Reduce soap buildup and food residue by pouring a cup of vinegar into your empty dishwasher or coffee pot once a month and letting it run a full cycle.
39. Sanitize pet accidents. You can remove the stain―and smell―of your pet’s accident by mixing ¼ cup vinegar with a quart of water and blotting the mixture onto the mess with a washcloth. Continue dabbing until the spot is gone.
40. Prep for summer grilling. To remove charcoal buildup from your grill, spray white distilled vinegar on balled up aluminum foil and scrub the grate thoroughly.
41. Restore showerhead pressure. If your showerhead gets clogged with mineral deposits, soak it for 15 minutes in a mixture of ½ cup vinegar and 1 quart water.
42. Clean your scissors. When your scissor blades get sticky, wipe them down with a cloth dipped in full-strength white vinegar. Unlike soap and water, vinegar won’t ruin the blades or rust the metal.
43. Unclog drains. For a natural, nontoxic way to clean clogged pipes, pour one cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of white vinegar, down the drain. Let the products bubble and foam, then flush the pipes with a pot of boiling water.
44. Eliminate dandruff. If your scalp is feeling dry or flaky, vinegar can be a simple at-home remedy. Once a week, pour one cup of apple cider vinegar over your scalp, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cool water.
45. Soften your feet. Summer sandals leaving you with cracked heals and calluses? Soak your feet for 20 minutes a day in one part vinegar to two parts warm water. The vinegar removes dead skin, leaving your feet soft and smooth.

Purge with a passion

Here's a new book--but I'm not sure you want to give it as a Christmas gift--it might seem like a hint. Buy it for yourself and keep it on the coffee table. "Purge with passion; organizing principles from a Christian perspective," by Jodie Watson, WestBow Press, 2013. (ISBN 978-1-4497-9513-9, $17.95).  WestBow is a division of Thomas Nelson.

I'm not a hoarder, and I'm not swamped with clutter. . . but I do have "stuff." Stuff that's really important to me, that belonged to my great grandparents—tools and dishes, or my grandmother’s scrap books, or a Christmas dress sewn by my mother for a 1955 dance, or Mother’s Day plates my kids made for me 40 years ago, or books I'll never read, or my grandfather's 11th ed. of the Encyclopedia Britannica (also the 12th and 13th), or glass dishes from my childhood, or my wedding dress (also my sister’s, made by our mother), or my parents' bedroom set, and so on. See? Just the important stuff.

Watson, who is from England, has family in West Africa, and when she visited she saw they had so much less than those of us in "developed" countries, but seemed happier. This is so much more than a book about clutter. It's about being free to live your life for Christ when you lay down your burdens.

http://www.supremeorganization.com/wordpress1/Assets_Library/Media_Kit/2011_Media_Kit.pdf

Helpful hints—just try a few

1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster!
2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
3. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
4. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
5. To make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonsful of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
6. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic, and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.
7. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
8. Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
9. Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
10. Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
11. Newspaper weeds away: Plant your plants in the ground, work the nutrients in your soil. Then wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch, and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
12. To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
13. Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.
14. Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip to eliminate static cling. It works; you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... Ta DA! ... Static is gone.
15. Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
16. De-fog your windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
17. Re-opening envelopes: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.
18. Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
19. Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup an d gone forever!
20. Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
21. Wash your dryer filter: Did you know that cleaning your lint trap with a dryer sheet can ruin it? Dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free, and smell good. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box? Apparently that stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! You can test it by running the lint trap under water. If the water goes through you are good. If not then you need to clean it. The best way to keep your dryer working for a long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months.
22. Drop a small object on the carpet and can't find it. Place panty hose over the end of the vacuum hose and start vacuuming. The panty hose will trap anything too large to fit through the tiny hose and keep it from getting sucked into the vacuum.
23. Wearing a skirt or dress on a windy day. Cut open a few sections on the bottom seam. slip in some heavy washers or flat weights (anything small heavy and flat will work) then sew the seam back up.
24. Need to cut some corn off the cob. Use your bundt pan. Place the ear on the opening in the center of the pan, and as you slide the knife down the ear, all the kernels will collect in the main part of the pan..

Magic Bathroom cleaner

I haven’t tried this, but wanted to save the recipe, and putting it in the blog is easier than printing it.

What you need:
-1 Professional Spray Bottle (it is worth the extra $1, trust me!)
-8 oz. Distilled White Vinegar
-4 oz. Lemon Juice
-2 oz. Liquid Soap (I use Dawn)
-2 tsp. Baking Soda
-10 oz water
To Mix:
Funnel in all the ingredients, squeeze out the suds, screw on your cap and go make your bathroom sparkle!
To Use:
Clear the surfaces, use toilet tissue to wipe off any dirt, hair, spilled liquids, etc.  Using the lightest spray setting, spray down everything- sink, counter, mirror, faucets, tub and the whole toilet, inside and out. I let it sit while I sweep the floor. I then use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the surfaces from the cleanest to the dirtiest. In our house that means mirror, faucets, sink, tub/shower and then the toilet. Be sure to rinse out the tub/shower really well so it isn't slippery.
Stubborn stains in your tub?
Whether its a dirt ring at the top or dirt stuck in the textured bottom, this will solve your problem! Spray down the problem area heavily, and then using a sponge with a non-scratch scrubber, scrub in a circular motion. Again, rinse very well and then put on your shades because its going to be shiny.

Another stain remover recipe

1 tsp. Dawn dishwashing detergent
3-4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide
couple tablespoons of baking soda.
Scrub on with a scrubbing brush.

 

COFFEE FILTERS

Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing even the large ones.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters..
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc. on them. It soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.
16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.
18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.
19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.
20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.  Saves on having extra bowls to wash.
21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.
22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
23. Use them to sprout seeds.  Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book.
25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

You can de-clutter in 15 minutes a day

That's what Fly Lady says. I thought it was a fifty-fling, but after checking the site, I see it is 27. "Take a garbage bag and walk through your home and throw away 27 items. Do not stop until you have collected all 27 items. Then close the garbage bag and pitch it. DO NOT LOOK IN IT!!! Just do it." But I had an entire box to empty. I pitched 67 things. It took much longer than I anticipated. Some of the forms I'd set aside asked for things like my doctor's name, address and phone number; or my husband's SS; or my daughter's, or the pharmacy's phone number. And the returned Christmas cards. Oh my. I had to fire up the database and change or add addresses. I had to take some things to the basement, like my husband's tools because I never could figure out how to fix the exercycle so it wouldn't sound like a small plane taking off, and last year's calendar that had some great flower photos for when I get inspired to paint again. Then there was the laundry to put in the dryer while I was down there, and yesterday's loads to take upstairs. Yes, de-cluttering takes much more time than you think. Fortunately, the cat hadn't become excited and used the litter box like she usually does when she sees me going to the basement. But with 5" of snow expected today, 2" this evening, and another 5" possibly tomorrow, this is a good day to do de-cluttering.

How children can help with housework

Recently the Work and Family Mail Box at the WSJ had this complaint from a father of 3 and one on the way. "My wife is busy and I work long hours, so it's embarrassing when people drop by."

My first thought was, Oh, oh, I'll bet that's the mother-in-law "dropping by."

I have no small children and my personal areas of our home (my office, the kitchen, the laundry room) are much messier than when I did. My children were my main focus in the 60s and 70s--I wanted to be a good example, I wanted to teach them life skills, and I was a bit fussy about hygiene and good health, probably more than I needed to be. So therefore, my children "helped" with housework without actually doing the work.

When they were toddlers I vacuumed and picked up toys once a day--usually about 4:30. One tip my Mom (married 65 years) gave me was always look good for your husband when he walks in the door--and that includes the house. Put on a fresh dress, straighten your seams (her era), comb your hair and powder your nose.

My children were bathed daily before bedtime, and since I was already on my knees, that meant the tub was cleaned daily, and the floor mopped up. Toilet training meant special attention to hygienic facilities. In those days, I ironed weekly, not bi-monthly. Shopping was once a week--alone--not every other day like now when I have plenty of time and no schedule.

My parents had four children within seven years, and I can't ever recall a time when the house was messy for long, even during the time when mom baked and sold pies (although I wasn't tall enough to see the kitchen counter then). Neither had mothers who put in a lot of time on "keeping a house" so a pleasant, clean house was important to them. However, we were free to rearrange the furniture and drape blankets around to create houses, drag out the Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, dolls and trucks, or set up an art studio on the dining room table. I can't recall anyone stopping me from running through the house pretending to be a pony, using the beds as a trampoline, (or falling down stairs frequently). So Mom must have started picking up the mess and putting the furniture back about an hour before Dad's return in the evening.

The WSJ columnist suggested to the reader that he find a "household coach" to help his wife with organization. I've seen this done on TV, but wonder how long it lasts. I think of my own efforts to keep my personal space clean--it's not exactly like I don't know what to do or why! Today we have on-line helps like Fly Lady (today is zone 2) where you tackle one area a day and do a 50-fling/pick up or something like that.

I tend to think you either see it and it bothers you, or you don't. In that family, unfortunately, the husband could see it, the wife couldn't.

How I spent my vacation (from blogging)

Only my cousin seemed to miss me, but I was on a blogging break for about 6 days. I certainly didn't accomplish all I'd intended, partly because I didn't STOP reading other blogs--which is also very time consuming! And I continued to read in the topics that interested me. I'm a slow reader, have a few eye problems, so reading is sometimes a challenge.

1) Although I forgot to bookmark it, I read a study on NCLB that said it did indeed raise test scores of the bottom, most challenged group. But it was apparently at the expense of the top group which made no progress or even fell back. Sort of redistribution of wealth, Bush style.

2) Learned that the universe is composed 99.73% of "dark stuff." There are 3 types of dark (absence of light). Now we know of a fourth category, and it seems to be sucking in money in the area around the beltway.

3) I looked at the cheat sheet the Democrats printed up (pdf) of Obama's accomplishments to discuss over turkey. But it really was the turkey. Stuffed and expanded with lies, some created, some saved.

4) I began reading the Constitution of the United States. I may have had to pass a test on it in high school, but all I remembered was the preamble. A few weeks ago I bought a very small book from the Barnes and Noble bargain stack "The United States Constitution and other American Documents" (Fall River Press, 2009). It has almost no commentary except an introduction. I found it a fascinating read, and not at all the document that Obama claimed to know during his campaign, nor the one that conservative talkers say we're losing. It is 100% amazing in its brevity, insight into human nature and ability to see the future based on past events. And to think Congress must print 2,074 pages to fix a "system" that isn't a system, and isn't broken. I think it would be a great stocking stuffer, but I just checked the website, and it says they are sold out. That must mean other people are reading the original documents too.

5) I read an interesting comparison of the recent (Nov. 20 it was revealed about a decade of false information) manipulation and hiding of data about CO2 and its role in global warming with the "banned books" mythology and yearly event of the American Library Association at another blog.

6) I found out by following a link from ChemWeb Newsletter (in my e-mail) what makes up the dust in my house (remember--I was going to clean). Turns out 60% is made up of arsenic. Wow. That sent me right to the window blinds to remove the dust!

7) Read an article on who "invented" the global warming scare and why--it was Margaret Mead!

8) Learned by experimenting that the alcohol hand rub that is now ubiquitous is great for cleaning the bathroom. Dab a little on a cloth and wipe off the toilet flush handle, faucets, door knobs--also does a great job on the mirrors.

9) I made gift cards (I'm not very crafty) for my children's birthdays with inspirational stickers I found in my desk and attached their birthday checks to them--good at any store!

10) Attended a fabulous Thanksgiving service at UALC Lytham Road where Buff Delcamp preached and reminded us that the light of Christ is the answer to darkness in the world (see my #2) and John Stolzenbach got a standing ovation for the 25th anniversary of his ordination. That was followed by a wonderful dinner prepared by my daughter who lives over the river and through Scioto Woods, with lots of left overs to bring home and enjoy. She had alerted me to the pumpkin shortage earlier in the week, but I had a few cans, so we had plenty of pie.

Cleaning the bathroom

This story is for Bev, who patiently reads through my political stuff hoping for a good story. She loves me, my cat and my foibles.

I've never claimed to be an organized housewife. Drives my husband crazy. He knows exactly where his Boy Scout folding cup from fifth grade is. So today I started on the guest room by moving a few things to my closet off the master bedroom. However, that bathroom is my husband's, so after I rearranged my shoes which our house guests will never see, I started on his bathroom. I'll be using this while our California relatives are here, so for my sake, I decided to attack it. I don't care if a guy is a bachelor or married or a CEO with a private office suite and maid service, men's bathrooms are always YUK!

While cleaning the shower (on my knees) I got a good look at the bottom of the shower door. Double yuk. The seal on the bottom of the flap was so mold covered, I think that's all that was holding the trim piece on. I saw there were 4 screws, and needed a Phillips screw driver. I know how to do that, so I went to the basement and found a small Phillips. Three screws came out after much effort and a blistered palm. The fourth wouldn't budge. I think this is a type of Murphy's Law--4 screws, 3 come out. So instead of yelling until I was hoarse from the second floor to the basement the way the other person in this marriage does, I walked down.

"There are four screws on the trim piece of the shower door, and I could only get three of them out. I'm trying to clean off the mold. Can you do the fourth one?"

"Phillips?"

"Yes, I got it out of the store room."

"I'll get my bigger one out of my tool bin in the garage."

"What's wrong with my Phillips?"

"Not enough torque."

"What's torque?"

he explained.

Friday Family Photo--Latin Class Doodles

When my husband left for exercise class this morning I had strict instructions to start cleaning off the bookshelves in his office. He had found mold on a number of the books, so he's in high gear today. I started with my sophomore Latin book and got no further. I found a band assembly program and just had to scan it and put it on my class blog (and also since I have a new computer the scanner is acting up, so that took about 30 minutes to figure out).

So when he got home, he asked how much I'd done. "I stopped after one book," I explained. "It was just too interesting." "You can't do that! How are we ever going to get done if you look at every book?" Obviously, the man never had to withdraw thousands of books from a library collection--it's like drowning puppies for a librarian.

I looked up cleaning mildewed books on google, and it seems I need some alcohol and some sunlight, or if the book is really valuable, I can put it in the freezer. Several people who had never tried it suggested 10 seconds in the microwave, but I'm already sneezing. I remember that freezer trick from my working days. Our library roof leaked spring and fall and also winter when the ice thawed (bad roof drain), so the preservation office dubbed its freezer, "The Veternary Memorial Freezer."


Latin class doodles. I think my girlfriend Tina drew Gene Autry to go with my horse and a note about "wrigglies spearment gum". We sat together and giggled a lot. She's now a great-grandmother! Still giggles.
Also written on the back cover of the lst year Latin book, "Living with the Romans":

Latin is a language
as dead as it can be.
First it killed the Romans
and now it's killing me.

Will ya won't ya can't cha
Don't ya wanta
Won't your mother let cha
Oh go on you said you would
Won't cha Huh?

They were not in my handwriting, so I flipped to the front to see if it was a used book. This book had been used by my two sisters in 1951 and 1952.