Days Gone By

As some of you may already know, mostly because I haven’t been able to stop babbling about it for over a week now; I’ve recently discovered the television series Downton Abbey. I will admit, I am very late to the game so to speak, but my grand, I have enjoyed it immensely.

I made several jokes last week that I have begun to hear myself speaking British in my head-voice whenever I would read anything. And then much to my surprise, and probably my husband’s dismay, I also began “speaking” in that tone as well.

Most Saturday's are the day for linen's to be washed. Today was no different. We may not be like most though, as we wash and re-bed with the same sheets each week, never changing unless they are worn out. This is not to say I don't have extra's as I do, I have three unused sets still in their original packing - should I need them - all bought on sale of course.

Well, today was the day for "the change". We've been using the same set for almost 2 years now, week in and week out. As I'm telling my husband I'm about to open a new set and we'll be discarding the others, he begins to argue the point that we should change out every other week so one pair won't get so worn.

In my best imitation of Mrs. Hughes - Head Housekeeper of Downton Abbey - I said:
"you are most welcome to introduce another set of linens to be washed each and every week, ones that will also participate in the change out of linens, but you sir shall be fully responsible for the task of re-folding that horrid fitted sheet as well, as where my method, never ever requires such a dreaded duty a’tall".

As I spoke, the accent gradually came out as well as the words. And as you can imagine - with mention of folding that &%)^%$ fitted sheet - not another word was spoken! His face however reflected laughter, and maybe just a tad bit of fear.

I am almost at the end of my journey through London and will miss those characters and their lives. As a good friend of mine said so well, “it was one of the best series to ever grace my television screen.”

There doesn’t seem much use for rank and file these days, or respect for general seniority and authority for that matter. People walk around with imaginary masks, hiding their evil and hate. No one, and nowhere is safe anymore, not a church, not a school, not two deputy’s sitting in a restaurant eating lunch.

I realize it was a different time, and a different place, but the ideals were such that one would have never thought that the basic idea of it all would just die out. But they are indeed dying, if not already dead. I dare say I do wonder, what will be left of respect and honor in another twenty years’ time? I’m not quite sure we really want to see that far into the future; the present day is scary enough.

Waiting on a Woman.....

I know I’m what some would call an excessive person. I have excessive feelings and responses according to my children, I have excessive buying impulses my husband will say, and as some of my girlfriends will attest, I purchase certain items in excess, i.e.; tubes of lipstick of which I admittedly have every single shade from Amazing Apricot to Zesty Orange.

But I’ve never really considered myself as a high maintenance gal until the other day when I took one of those tests on Face Book. You know, one of those that works off a point system for all these things that you do, and depending on your score, it will surmise the level of your personal maintenance.

Now before any of you get all cranked up about me taking a test on Face Book and the whole world knowing my business – I think most of the free world knows a lot of things about me already. The test wasn’t intrusive and I didn’t share any “real” personal information with anyone. And while I’m all up in that subject of Face Book and Congress – I’ll just say this – Face Book was created as a social tool for people to get to know one another and to reconnect with those that they might have left behind. It was never intended, in my humble opinion, for many of the things it has become.

But back to my original point – I took this test and my grand – I was most undeniably in the high maintenance column once it was done.

Yes, I do joke about it a lot, but in all honesty, I do shave my legs every single day of my life; all the seasons of the year, all the time. I absolutely cannot stand for my legs to scrub on each other with that rough stubble that comes with a day or so of growth.

I also shower every day - twice. I know. It’s a thing. It just is. Leave it alone.

I put on make-up every day that I plan to make an entrance in public because I was not blessed with a face that wouldn’t scare all small children and some adults if I did not.

I do wash and “fix” my hair every day; and good gosh almighty, yes I do have it colored once a month as well. I’m not sure what this new craze is with “going gray” or “natural” but it’s just not for me – not anytime soon. My mother is 77 years old, born and raised in the state of Alabama, the home of sweet tea and the original steel magnolias of life; and I can assure you, her face will be “fixed”, her lips will be “on”, and her hair will be colored and fixed until her last days on this earth; I expect mine will be as well.

If just those few things threw me in the high maintenance category – well then – I guess that’s my lot in life. My thoughts are, if you’re sitting around waiting on a woman who still takes pride in herself, then it’s time well spent, and you ought to be mighty prideful as well.

Spring Brings Fresh Beginnings

I took a few days off the week before Easter and a day or so of the week following. It had been December since I had taken any time off and I felt like I need something close to a resurgence in my life. A re-awakening if you will of energy, thoughts, and peace of mind. And almost as much as my mind and body needed all of those things, just as importantly, my house needed the same.

I don’t know how many of you can relate, but when the seasons change, my house and my yard are doing the same in their own ways.

The leaves on the trees are beginning to shine when the light hits them just right, the buds on some of the blooming bushes are just peeking forward, the grass is trying to change colors before our very eyes it seems; day by day the changes are clear and obvious.

Well, all this newness, and the beautiful sunlight and warmth that brings it to our attention, comes some other things that this newfound lightness brings to notice: DIRT.

There’s a reason I’ve heard it referred to as “spring cleaning” all of my life. As that one term can cover SO MANY activities that are about to happen in one’s life.

From, warm clothing being boxed up and stored for another season far away, to cleaning and scrubbing your home down from the inside out.

Clearing the cobwebs from carports and front porches that have lain dormant for months from little to no activity at all. Wiping down the front porch rockers that have a combination of both dust and now pollen mixed-in, that needs to be cleaned so that family and friends can sit down for a spell, have a glass of sweet tea, and pick-up where they left off last January when it was too cold to visit outside.

And my windows, oh my goodness at my nasty windows! How in the world was I going to be able to see all that beauty outside if I couldn’t see through my windows?!

And with the cleaning of the windows came more clear, and concise sunlight, shining on those dusty baseboards and dull carpet from months of tracking in dust and such from outside to in.

Well, as you can imagine, I saved up a day for most ALL of these things to happen at once – a shared day off between my husband and myself. I had the carpet cleaned, he did the same to our yard, and we shared the inside duties of cleaning together.

Now as I stand at my big double-window at the front of my house, the glass is shining from a fresh cleaning and I can see all the beauty, far and wide, across my yard. Every single color is as vibrant as if I were standing next to it, and the view of my birdhouses is clear enough that I can practically see the food in their beaks as the birds land to eat.

Just as much as anything physical you might imagine; spring cleaning is good for the heart, the soul and the mind.