Been Getting Busy - Warning Long Post

If you thought dirty thoughts when you read the title, shame on you.

Not really. But the title is sort of accurate.

Wednesday I woke up and could not find my sunglasses - they don't do any good except knock down the glare.

I decided I was missing many things, like my video camera and a pack of batteries for the digital camera.

I set things down to be put away later when I 'saw' them the next time. Can't do that anymore because I can't see them later.

Anyway it had been a while (yeah right - a year?) since I had thoroughly cleaned anything so I decided I could try - it's not like the kids run over every week to do it for me – did you ever? I must be a clean neat person. Stop laughing.

I decided the bathroom was the first stop. I am pretty sure the ring around the tub is gone and the shower curtains are different colors now but I bet it's all clean. Only took 1.5 cans of comet (is that right?).

Then I did the bedroom since it is pretty sparse except for all the pictures. Why do I hang family pictures in the bedroom? Beside the obvious I can't see them. I sleep in there with the lights out.

I'll bet the lights were not on in that room for a year before I lost my sight. Years ago I hung 'good posters' on the walls and even the ceiling - but they were definitely not family nor for family. I digress.

In the bedroom I found my sunglasses – must’ve worn them to bed. I also found a remote I lost months ago and talked the cable company into replacing.

Next the living room saving the kitchen for last since I figured it would be the hardest.

In the living room I found lots of cool things that at first I could not identify. I usually eat in front of the computer. I found a hard (at one time soft) roll that I thought I had eaten but instead knocked off.

I found lots of pieces of I am sure were popcorn and maybe M&Ms or raisins or something (mice?) – I didn’t want to vacuum until I checked the whole floor because who knows what I might have dropped.

I found a syringe, and a box of alcohol wipes I must knocked off and couldn’t find. I also found a bunch of square things I could not identify. Several just out of reach of my feet under the desk.

I also found a remote that I did not know I lost and cannot figure out what the hell it is for.

After I identified everything I could and put most things out of the way I vacuumed but within the first three feet I heard metal things bouncing their way into the bag.

I decide it would be best to use my shopvac so that I could more easily shift through whatever I sucked up.

I always wondered why they sold wide carpet nozzles for shopvacs – now I know – but I never bought one.

Do you have any idea how long it takes to vacuum a 10 by 20 room with a four inch nozzle? At least I had extensions and didn’t have to crawl around on my hands and knees.

(I remember buying those – there were two choices – a bag of extensions or a bag of extensions with a floor nozzle for $2 more – dummy me).

Luckily I remembered to empty the tank before I started and when I searched through the debris I found a bunch of little metal balls. I have no idea.

I left the kitchen for Thursday. I only have two things I could not identify. Small boxes about 3” wide and tall and an inch thick. I have about six of them. They were in a cabinet I very seldom use now.

I did find my favorite coffee cup and I am glad I could not ‘see’ what was at the bottom. I also found my video camera on the shelf above the trash can. How lucky am I that it didn’t get knocked into the trash.

I found three packages of batteries in the ‘big utensil” drawer and I found another pair of what must be sunglasses because the also block the light.

The only unusual things I found on the floor were popcorn and a mouse trap I had forgot about. Luckily it was empty.

My George Foreman grill was really greasy on the bottom so I sank it in a sink full of extremely hot water. Something told me this might not have been a good move but I washed it when the water cooled down and all surfaces feel ‘squeaky clean’.

I put it in the oven at somewhere between 100 and 200 degrees and left it for four hours (I forgot to set a timer and felt the heat when I walked by). I closed my eyes (pun intended) and plugged it in.

It got warm so I cooked a burger – it had a funny taste – might have been I didn’t get all the soap off or I ruined the finish.

I cleaned it with wet paper towels then put veggie oil on it to cure it. The 2nd burger tasted great.

Remember those keys I lost last summer? Found them – under the kitchen table near the wall. Remember that picture frame I dropped and the glass broke? Found it under some paper bags in the corner of the counter top.

Remember the lottery tickets I bought at Christmas but lost? Found them right where I put them so I would not forget. Can’t tell you if I’ve won anything.

But at least I got back one thing – a little pride. I can go shoeless around the place once again.