Tag: cleaning

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Open Write Day 1 of 3 November 2025 with Mo Daley of Illinois: Clean Up and Clean Out

Our host today for the first day of the Monthly Open Write for December is Monday Daley of Illinois, who inspires us to write cleaning poems since it is National Clean Up Day. You can read her full post here, along with her mentor poem and the response poems of the writers who participate.

Earlier this year, those in the school district office where I work were saddened to learn that our favorite custodian had taken a job in a neighboring county because of lower wages in our own. We understood. But we grieved that daily absence of one who was more than a custodian to us. She was a friend who shared about her children and the concerns of her country. She was family. She’d given us her number in case we ever wanted to call to have our own personal homes cleaned, which she offers as a service on weekends.

The older I get, the more difficult cleaning is, and if I’ve learned one thing from my father’s aging process, it’s this: stay on top of the cleaning. As I near 60 years of age, I hear my own words of advice to him echoing through the veil of time: “Hire someone. Don’t try to do all this by yourself. There are professionals out there who know what to do and how to do it better than you can.”

So two weeks ago, I called my friend Dianelys to come and meet with me about cleaning. She brought her mother along, the one who loves plants but doesn’t speak any English. I saw her mother giving approving nods to the plants as we walked through the house so I could show her what I would like to have done. I’ve been establishing some Night Blooming Cereus stalks, so I plan to leave one out today with a note for her and her sister in law to take to her mother, on this first day that Dianelys will clean our house with her cleaning partner.

And so today, on this National Day of Cleaning, it seems fitting to write my 6,7 poem to celebrate Dianelys and cleaning.

Taking My Own Advice

I’m taking my own advice,

Dad, doing what I thought you

should have done years ago

you’d be proud of me today

phoning a friend to help

where my abilities now

fall short ~ bending, vacuuming,

scrubbing, shining, polishing ~

I look to the Heavens

offer a gratitude smile

as always, you taught me well

one way or another

this cleaning hits the targets

that need it most ~ for me and

my friend, Dianelys

she’ll be here in two hours

with her mop bucket and rags

so now the mad dash to clean

before the real cleaner comes

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So Many Variables

This month, I’m sharing conversations that my brother and I had with our father in his final days of life on this side of Heaven. In this conversation, he was yearning to go back home – a place where he never, unfortunately, was able to return. My brother and I spent long weeks at his bedside, and each day we had conversations and learned of things he needed us to do before his time came. We were blessed to be able to help him accomplish some of those things. Like yesterday, I chose a diminishing form and used Dad’s exact words for today’s poem. This is a nonet form, and it creates the sense of urgency to live a day at a time…..and there are only so many.

Never Enough Time Nonet

there are so many variables

in this thing… who knows?….you just have

to go with the flow, one day

at a time ~ that’s the way

you have to live your

life, Dad urges

(we agree ~

to a

point)*

*My brother and I loved our father, but one frustration we shared was that despite our foresight we’d shared on getting some affairs (and his house and collections of books and other things) in order, he waited until the last minute, leaving many tasks undone and relying on us to do things for him in those final days. While I do believe in going with the flow and allowing the good Lord to open doors, I’m not an exclusive member of the serendipitous steering currents of the spirit club – words he used often. I’ve also learned that he who dies with the most toys does not win. I believe in planning ahead. Despite all that we wish he had done differently, we are still learning from our dad – most of it is what to do, yet much is what not to do.

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March 24: 5:16-5:47 Reorganizing the Pantry

reorganizing

bringing structure from chaos

now I can find food!

My post today for my designated slicing time this afternoon was inspired by Barb Edler’s mustard poem from Sunday. She was having a hard time finding her yellow mustard for a sandwich, and I was having a hard time finding anything in my under-the-stairs pantry. It’s tucked away and can be a little cramped, but we tend to keep sparse supplies of food here anyway, so it works out.

Until it doesn’t, and that is usually because I let it get out of control.

It was time to reorganize our shelves, and since we sold our camper several weeks ago and I kept all of the clear plastic storage containers from that setup, I shifted the same system into my own kitchen.

I started by pulling everything out. Everything.

I organized it all by type of food on the counter, checking dates and tossing expired items. Breads, cereals, spices and baking foods, canned goods, crackers, coffee and teas, and sauces and snacks.

Food organized by type on the counter

I knew something around here was going to get a cleaning at some point when I got sick and they put me on a steroid, so it was all a matter of when the burst of energy would come and what was in my path at the time. I’m glad it was the pantry, and I’m glad it was inspired by fellow slicer Barb and her mustard.

It feels great to know what’s here to eat again!

The refrigerator, though…….well, that’ll take another burst of energy and another inspiration.

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Cleaning Out!

we’re cleaning out a lifetime of stuff

making room for new adventures

goodbye to all the clutter

farewell to odds and ends

we’re clearing the air

ready for new

memories ~

coming

soon!

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Pre-Spring Closet Cleaning

“I set aside one bag for throwaways and one for giveaways and dived in. First, I got rid of items that no one should be wearing anymore.” – Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

I have no plans for any spring cleaning! Who even invented that? The time to be cleaning is January and February – winter cleaning – to free up the time for spring camping when it starts to warm up outdoors.

My recently cleaned closet

My husband had been talking about cleaning out his closet for months, so I suggested we tackle it this past Saturday after I’d finished cleaning mine earlier in the week. It was too cold outside to enjoy a hike, so we were stuck inside anyway, and nothing good was playing at the movies except A Man Called Otto, which we’d already seen.

“Are you ready?” I asked him.

“No,” he said. “I haven’t eaten my snack yet.”

I gave him the stare-down and told him to eat so we could get started. Reluctantly, he opened the foil package of his favorite Nature Valley Cinnamon biscuits with almond butter and took a painfully slow bite, returning the stare-down.

I began to organize the plan of action.

We pulled out all the clothes in the closet and put them on the bed.

We started the process of pulling out everything and putting back the things that sparked joy – – but we also had to be sensible. The man had clothes from the 1980s in there, and let’s face it – – we are the first two people to laugh at the throwback pictures people post on Facebook with the bold vertical burgundy, navy, and hunter green striped shirts and Members Only jackets. We didn’t want to be those people anymore.

We spread out two giant trash bags and created three piles: keep (hang back in the closet), trash (trash bag #1), and donate (trash bag #2). And we set about our task of sorting.

Boo Radley snuggled up next to the first pile of clothes to be donated

Next, we made a list of items that needed replacing. Pants, because his all had outdated cuffs at the hem and when I’d texted my more fashion-savvy brother for confirmation on this, he’d replied, “Toss the cuffs, unless it’s a suit. Pleats are pretty much dead, too.” Dress shirts, because many most had a terminal case of ring around the collar. His leather belt because it was cracking, and a pair of shoes that he could only wear when it wasn’t raining because of a gap in the seam between the sole and the top.

“How can you trust the weather man that much?” I asked when he’d once before tried to lobby for saving the shoes. One little pop-up shower that left a steam puddle meant the difference in dry, comfortable feet and a miserable, wet rest of the day. I had to be more like a mother than a wife when closet cleaning.

His favorite argument about his worn-out t-shirts is that he should save these for wearing on the tractor when he bush hogs and for using them as oil change rags. I gave him the motherly stare again, then grabbed a plastic grocery bag, filled it, and took it to the garage. We discarded the rest.

And the ties – – the TIES! We weeded them by half.

Three filled garbage bags later (2 donates, 1 trash), we celebrated a clean closet with a barbecue dinner and a slice of buttermilk pie. Some accomplishments simply deserve their own special ceremony, and this was one of those occasions.

Briar’s clean closet

Now….on to the kitchen…..