Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The little engine that could


Sweeping. Dusting. Mopping. Washing. Sneezing. Pruning. Weeding. Edging. Taping. Painting. Scraping. Wheezing. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

That's pretty much been my life the past week and the reason I am MFTB (missing from the blogosphere).

As I plunge into the process of getting my home ready to sell, there have been moments of great satisfaction when it seems like progress is being made. There was also one wildly fretful episode when a gaze around the 80 year old basement was so overwhelming I fell into a dark spinning fog of high anxiety.

Cobwebs have been splitting and reproducing faster than a drunken amoeba. I cannot get the smell of latex gloves off my hands. My hair and body form a kaleidoscope of paint colors.

Yesterday I was reeling in a complete panic, crazed by the scope of work needing to be done. Then last night I watched a show called "The Hoarders" on A&E. Seeing those poor people squeezing through narrow paths etched out in the waist high debris that completely filled their homes, my vigor and determination returned.

In a random flick of the channel my tasks suddenly seemed very doable. You gotta love synchronicity.


..........................

22 comments:

ds said...

Yippee! You're alive! I was about to call the bloggy version of the FBI on you. Glad you're fighting nothing worse than cobwebs. Lead on, MacDuff!

T said...

Ah, but the finished product is going to be soooo worth it!!

Carry on!

Kathleen said...

YAY!!! So great to see a post from you! I can't imagine how hard the work must be. One cobweb at a time!

Anonymous said...

I caught an episode of that show myself. Makes me feel better about my mess. It's TINY next to those people.:) Ugh, I hope you get the house all sorted out soon and can relax. I also hope some buyer gives you TONS of money (literally - and not in pennies!) and you find a lovely apartment/house.

Is it wrong I was hoping that photo was actually you getting down to business? :) :)

Anonymous said...

Good grief, it's more like The Hoarders around here, sadly. Keep on truckin', and good luck cleaning. You're clearing away spiritual cobwebs as well! Love from Texas.

Rudee said...

Having just been through this myself, I have great empathy. If I say better you than me, would you be offended? I hate moving.

Don't you wish you could unclutter and fix things up in 30 minutes like they do on HGTV?

Gail said...

Keep up the good work, you will get there and will be so proud of your hard work!

drollgirl said...

ack! i have heard of this show but have not seen it. seems like it puts everything in perspective!!

hope things go well. maybe one room (or one corner) at a time would be a good goal? maybe.

Kathy said...

Scrub on, girl!!! Having just moved myself, I can tell you that it is rather freeing to get rid of all of the useless crap that one somehow manages to accumulate. This too shall pass...until then, stock up on the bleach and trash bags! Love the picture, too!

GYPSYWOMAN said...

been there done that been there again and did it again - bless your heart! you just keep on keepin' on! it will be worth every scrubbing moment in the end -

i know i know, platitudes don't get the dirt off -

:)

Eleonora Baldwin said...

You're doing great! And just think, in a little while it'll all be behind you.

Happy (busy) days,
~Lola xx

Nancy said...

Oh yeah, I've been there. I was so amazed at the garbage we hauled out of our house of sixteen years a few years ago. Our house always was clean and tidy - where did it come from? (Closets and the garage, mostly)

Good luck!

Eddie Bluelights said...

Nice to 'speak' again. Hope the house move goes well. Once again thank you for the Blingee thing - I will appear again soon with flashing lights in my eyes. Watch this space ~ Eddie

Cormac Brown said...

"I cannot get the smell of latex gloves off my hands."

Next time you might want to try nitrile gloves and I speak from experience when I say that prolonged wearing of latex gloves leads to latex allergies.

Try using lemon or orange zest to take the smell out, the citric acid and the oils get most odors out.

Renee said...

Hopefully it will be sold before you know it and you can start all over again.

Renee xoxo

Oh said...

You are going to feel so light and airy ... and free!!!!! sounds great. And is that your picket fence in the picture prior? You gotta take that with you. We all love a picket fence of sorts!

Midlife Roadtripper said...

"You gotta love synchronicity."

Absolutely!Best of luck with this venture.

Rosaria Williams said...

You'll get your house so ready, you'll want to remain where you are. No. It is hard work; and someone has to do it. We'll wait.

Brian Miller said...

makes you feel a little bit better, eh? we have been selling our house for some time, the initial cleaning ok compared to trying to keep it clean with two crazy boys....good luck on the house sell. congrats on the POTD mention!

Boozy Tooth said...

Hello Pyzahn!

Greetings from Casa Hice in Ponte Vedra, Florida and heaps of congratulations on being mentioned on David McMahon's Post Of The Day.

I have to tell ya... I feel your pain. My two sisters and I recently returned from a week in New York cleaning out my elderly aunt's home getting it ready to close. Talk about a hoarder! Plus, there was no rhyme or reason to any of her stored treasures. Old bills were in the same drawers as photos and buttons and silverware. Mountains of receipts were stored with petrified boxes of crackers and old record albums. Of course every item had to be examined for importance, social security numbers, and value. It was a nightmare. But the good news... it can be done!

Best of luck with your remaining scrubbing, painting and wheezing, etc. I hope you don't mind, but I absolutely must subscribe to your blog and see how this all ends up. I have a feeling it's going to be a breeze and worth at least a few more chuckles.

Cheffie-Mom said...

Congrats on the Post of the Day mention!

Eddie Bluelights said...

Congratulations on POTD ~ Eddie