From Madelyn’s Sunporch
         To all Homemakers

What a glorious day to be sitting on my quiet, peaceful sunporch, my coffee cup in hand,  delighting in the beautiful new green of the grass and the enchanting baby leaves waving in the breeze. Everything is whispering that it is spring time. As I sit here and rock, feeling quite content, I suddenly have a great awakening. Spring time, house cleaning, and that old conscience starts in.
I rock and contemplate where should I start; the kitchen cabinets, the closets or the windows. As I drag myself up out of the rocker, I make an executive decision. I will clean the closets! Now just what is my strategy, I ask myself?
I decide to do the shoes first so I get all those plastic bags I am saving to recycle and start sorting shoes. I make a thrift store pile, a throw away and the keepers I leave on the rack. When I finish filling the plastic bags, I stand amazed at how much room I have for shoes! Now, the thrift store can recycle the plastic bags as well as the shoes. I sweep the area and take a deep breath.
Next, as I start on the clothes, leaving them hanging up, I start grouping, you know, slacks, jeans, skirts, shirts, organizing as I go. I have “the box” sitting there handy as can be. As I go I consider, 1) I love these items. They fit me well and I wear them frequently. 2) I want to keep this but I don’t know why. (You know you have those items) 3) these items don’t fit my body or my life. So those that are too small, nope, I can’t wear this, (sigh) and those that are too big, (Oh yeah) I am sure that I can grace someone with these. I smile to myself as I put them in “the box.” 4) The items that are in poor condition (Repurpose if possible). Some can be used for cleaning rags and the buttons saved for the button jar.
 So after I sort, organize, and group, I keep only the clothes that make me feel happy and good about myself. I say to myself, if I haven’t worn it in a year someone else needs it.
Now the hanger issue, I have never figured out how they multiply. The metal hangers I take back to the cleaners. They use them over and I have recycled. Now all the extra plastics; to the thrift store they go.
What a day, I realize that I have not only cleaned and organized the closets, I have done 45 forward bends, 50 reach-ups, 65 stoops, 75 up on your toes, and 100 around you go’s plus swinging that broom to put the final touches to this day. What a workout! I am exhausted!
 I think it is going to be bologna sandwiches for supper and back to my calm, tranquil sunporch to have my evening coffee and dream about the beautiful evening sky and how good it feels to have put in a very productive day. Oh boy, I feel a little smug about saving all that money for gym cost! Oh my, I need the liniment!

                                                                                                            -Madelyn R. Shields

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Christmas 1949 By Madelyn Shields      I was five so my sister Karen was seven.  We lived in a little white box shaped house in a community call Vandercook Lake, just outside of Jackson, Michigan. Daddy called our house a "cracker box" and at five years old I could not quite get the picture...you know...I would go outside and study the house trying to see the "Saltine" cracker box. It just wasn't there.      Vandercook Lake was a beautiful lake great for its fishing, both summer and winter. In the summer there would be people out along the shores fishing with cane poles and a bobbin and sinker. We loved the Blue Gill and Bass. We would fish and fight the mosquitoes that were as big as elephants, flying in formation, bombing us as they went. Talk about mosquito bites!!!! In the winter there would be ice fishing shanty's set up out on the ice that also provided a fun sport but we were not allowed to go out on the ic...
Read more
Image
The Tin Foil by Madelyn Anderson Shields My sister, Karen and I got the bright ideas to play Dentist. We must have been the ripe old age of  9 (Karen) and me 7. We formed us a committee to decide what we must use for teeth tools. After discussing various options, it dawned on us, Mother's nut cracking set! Sure enough, we had the  equipment right at our  fingertips.  Now, Mother always had nuts, in the shells, in a hand carved, walnut wood, equipped with all the tools standing like soldiers in a circle in the middle, bowl. So we snuck up on the bowl to make sure that Mother wasn't watching, reaching out like we were already caught taking the tools. We quickly gathered up Mother's nut cracker...the old metal one's that you squeezed on the nut to break the shell, and the nut picks that you used to dig the nuts out with. We had one of those small hand mirrors, like they put in purses...they were wraped in a little wax paper like envelope, for ou...
Read more

Prayer Meetings

    Prayer Meetings by Madelyn Shields  Daddy was a preacher and a pray-er. Daddy could preach the fear of God into you, but his praying was thunderous. One would think that God was going to strike with lightening if you even moved wrong.      When that praying spirit hit Daddy, it hit the whole house. ! Like I said, the whole house prayed . Daddy would call us all to the living room and say, "We  NEED to pray !" So, pray, we did.  "Here, let's all kneel,"  and we would all find a spot to pray. Mother at an easy chair, Daddy at the couch, and Karen and I right beside him. Keep in mind, there was no time limit. No five minutes, 30 minutes, no , we did  not pray by the clock! We prayed until Daddy felt like he had moved heaven and earth! Karen and I were very small; didn't matter. We stayed on our knees...We would start praying and calling on God with fervency. But a minute into the "prayer meeting," I wa...
Read more