This morning as I went past the front gate I noticed that
the snow bank was getting lower, and that one brave little
crocus had come through the snow and produced a small blue
flower on the white background. That's one of April's first
rewards, a parting gift from the Manitou. It isn't all beauty
and charm however, all the mess that was hidden under the
snow is suddenly calling for attention, it's time for spring
cleaning.
Where's the best place to start? In the house of course,
a whole new panoply of cobwebs has been slowly developing
over the winter. Cobwebs are common enough, yet I've yet
to see a cob, they must be very elusive creatures. There's
dust everywhere, I'll have to go over everything with a
damp rag, and there's lint balls under the bed. I mustn't
forget to wash the parkas before they go away, and the wood
chips in the basement need sweeping up. Maybe I'll start
cleaning outdoors instead.
Where's the best place to start? The dog droppings probably
need the first attention. I read in the Globe that wild
civet cats in India love to eat tender shoots and beans
of the coffee plants. The coffee beans retrieved from their
droppings evidently make a cup of coffee to kill for. It's
the ultimate caffeine experience. I look over the product
my dogs have left for me but fail to find anything of notable
value. Oh well, they're good companions, let's leave it
at that. When I had finished the dog job I looked at the
leaves, the cuttings from pruning the apple trees, the mess
in the hen house, the other mess in the garage, and I thought,
"It will all be here tomorrow, I think I'll go to the
market and see what Honest Charlie has this week.
I should have known what I would find, it's that time of
year after all, Honest Charlie had been house cleaning,
and had decided to reduce his inventory. He was having a
ten cent sale. "Charlie", I said, "you're
a genius. I throw my junk away, but you get people to buy
yours." I looked over the ten cent items and found
little treasures I couldn't turn down. There were whisk
brooms (cinnamon scented), hanging plant holders, drafting
pencils, plastic flowers and colouring books. I bought a
number of these last items, they will be much appreciated
by the visitors from Toronto I'm expecting next month.
"I'll pick up some more tomorrow", I told Honest
Charlie. "Better get 'em today", he replied "I'm
taking tomorrow off." "I've discovered a great
truth", he added, "hard work pays off in the long
run, but laziness pays off NOW." I gave that a lot
of thought as I went over all the spring cleaning that was
waiting for me. Then I went home and had a nap.
