A broom in my hands brings out the bitch in me . . . oh wait, I mean it brings out the WITCH in me. Well which ever, I do like me a good broom. And yes, there are bad brooms and good brooms and it makes a tremendous difference in how you feel when you use one. I happen to love my broom in Florida. I paid about two dollars for it at a local discount store many years ago and I have not been disappointed yet. My Florida broom is soft enough to slide easily across the floor but stiff enough to actually move any dirt it may encounter. The tips of each bristle is slightly frayed so it brushes across a surface nice and smooth while picking up what ever is on the floor. . And you know it encounters a LOT of stuff on the floor in my house. (Dust bunnies beware!)
But I am not in Florida right now and I need to adjust to SO many things being different. Start with the well water that I have written about in the past, move on to the mattress on our bed that is MUCH harder than the one in Florida. Then there is the fact that D likes to keep his house much warmer than I am used to so I am always sneaking around turning the thermostat down or sliding a window open when he isn't looking.
In Michigan we cook on a gas stove, I'm used to electric stoves which require a totally different method of cooking. (Gas stoves heat up instantly, electric stoves stay hot long after being turned off)
But it is the BROOMS that are REALLY different. First off, I own ONE broom. It is used inside and outside. Granted my condo is small and outside is a screened in lanai so we don't get too much heavy duty dirt. Fast forward to the woods of Michigan . . . The Man is currently in position of at least SIX brooms. There is one in the house that I hate and five others scattered around the outside of the house and in the garage and shed. NOT ONE of these six broom is worth shit ! They are ALL, the inside one included, SO old and bent that you can't really sweep with them. Apparently they have never been used and have just been left standing in one spot for the last thirty-seven years thus explaining the right angle bend in the bristles. Have you ever tried sweeping up anything other than cotton balls with a broom who's bristles are bent in the middle? Can't do it !! The only thing these brooms accomplish is to press the dirt into what ever surface you are sweeping.
Today we worked outside in the yard. The Man's "yard" consists of sixteen acres of fields and woods. That's quite some yard to take care of. (He is just telling me that he only mows two acres of grass on a regular basis, the other acres of field area he cuts with the "bush hog" every month or so.) It's a lot to manage especially for someone who is on oxygen 24/7 but he LOVES riding on his toys and taking care of his property.
Enter ME . . . So far he has not shown any desire to teach me to operate the ride-on mower or the tractor. Very smart on his part !! (For those of you who ever rode in my car with me you know what I'm talking about.) So while The Man is circling the house forty two times on his mower I get to play with the things that are planted around the house. And there is a lot planted around the house. There are peony's, roses, iris, tulips, roses and God only knows what else. All of it has not been touched in about ten years so it is really overgrown and messy. Besides the plants there are two cement patios that are in constant need of sweeping, thus the frustration over the broom issue.
Today I was feeling yucky . . . just a down day both mentally and physically. I had a lousy nights sleep, (thanks to the hard mattress), and it was raining this morning. The perfect storm for a yucky mood. But as the day progressed the sun began to come out and it turned into the most beautiful, if not cold, day. D had disappeared outside to ride on his mower, (but I think he was just escaping me) so I decided I needed some fresh air too.
Four hours later the garden is starting to look like it might actually look like a garden rather than an empty lot that's been abandoned for many years. And even though the broom situation frustrated me the entire time I feel a thousand times better than I did this morning.
Just imagine how fantastic I'd be feeling if I had my Florida broom with me !
No comments:
Post a Comment