All the descriptions of the hustle and bustle in some of the older romance fiction such as Coming Home by R. Pilcher at least motivates one briefly to do some housework. The charming descriptions of ‘putting things to rights’ gets one out of the reading chair. It is charming to read of the lady who comes in to do the rough work and the other lady who only is the cook general. Having a gardener living in a cosy cottage at the foot of the garden is a nice feature too. These people are fictional but I wish they would materialize in my little house and stay forever.
It’s a dream to think of not having to do any housework unless it is a project to prepare for a party or visitor. Housework takes a great deal of energy especially when trying to avoid it. Simplifying things and throwing out stuff not needed is a good goal. Trying to keep to some kind of routine to complete tasks is also a good thing. All of this I get subliminally from reading these older novels set in England and Scotland. Kind of sad isn’t it? I even wrote out a cleaning schedule and put it on the fridge door.
Once the place is tidied up and clutter free if feels more like home project time. What will it be this year? Let’s see, what needs doing?The bathroom ceiling needs painting, the water issue in the basement needs attention, the shrubs need some support trellising, the grass needs cutting, the weeds need pulling, the back door needs reframing, the shed needs painting, the shed needs cleaning… let’s face it the shed needs a miracle . Then, there is the kitchen mini redo as a new dishwasher and modified counter and shelving is another delight to look forward too. I’ve almost got myself talked into it. I better getting reading the rest of Coming Home before the housework piles up again.
An Embarrassment of Freedom 