esrosedotblog

John and I have been doing our own cleaning since we moved here.

And that has been good as far is it goes but over time it becomes clear that it didn't really go far enough.

I hired a team in today, Sergio and another man, two women, and they went to work.

Wow. I was ashamed to pay the price they were asking but this kind of work is very low on the supply and demand curve here. Or is it high. I said OK but added ten dollar tips for each.

They got into the nitty gritty. I had forgotten how much nitty and gritty there is.

Experts.

It took 5 hours and they were not down a second. Also windows and the outdoor furniture and they hosed down the patio and courtyard.

Booker's wall prints are gone. The corners in the showers are faultless.

I have been around the house and I can see, what I can see, is total.

They have been into everything. Even the closets under sinks. The refrigerator. I watched a good part of the early work then left for a meeting at Volvo but it was a wonderful job.

So, I am asking them to come back every two weeks. We used to have it done weekly. He offered to do it for the same rate as we used to pay in the other place with two of them, I added ten bucks in my head for tips. Of course this place is half as big. I won't pay the low rates. Just will not.

John has more willingness to do cleaning than I do because he thinks it is a bit extravagant to have a cleaner. I think he is pleading poverty. We need help.

And me? I am fucking tired of it all. I am not good at it and I know it. I don't feel good doing something that I know are half-way measures but I am not going to get more ambitious or more effective.

I just am not.

And what about our getting older? We don't have to prove to anyone that we can still hack it. Especially when we really cannot and do not want to.

So, it is done. Unilateral. I talked to him this morning from Bologna and he was so tired he didn't give me any resistance. Besides, I already signed Sergio up. Two weeks, they come again. If he wants, John can vacuum or dust in between and I will do a bit here and there with the wets but that will just be primping it.

Besides, Booker is like this dog. He likes the visitors and they are fun to watch.

I will join him just like this pooch.

Did I mention that they scrubbed all the tile floor that is visible and a lot that is not? Some of that has not been done since we have been here.

Labels: housekeeping