Someone is almost done with the taxes. We will probably owe this year, which is a disappointment as I was hoping to get a nice refund to help with the several house projects that need doing. His announcement is ‘bad timing’ as I was hoping to bring up travel and vacation plans for 2023. Other than some trips to MI for Father’s sake I guess these may not happen. He states it shouldn’t be much and we have the money for it. This reminds me The Overlords have asked I go to my account and do withholding for 2023 or they will do so themselves.

Hector, who is Grounds Keeper, stopped by the other day to tidy up. He tends to drop by when he is around the neighborhood. This is OK but he likes being paid in cash, so Someone has to quickly see if we have such on hand. I am glad he showed as the front lawn was weedy, what with recent rains. Our front yard didn’t look too bad compared to the next door neighbor’s yard, which was really weedy, but then he got the matter addressed which made ours look bad by comparison.

Speaking of yardwork, Aaron, who is Pool Master, seems missing in action. I need to text him to find out what’s news and if there’s anything the matter. Not that we are planning on swimming anytime soon.

I plan to go on the dreaded “Nextdoor” app to look for a handyman (or someone like him) to clean up the back porch which is untenable. It would be nice to sit out there in the evening before the spring allergies makes this impossible. After months of neglect the sitting area of the back porch looks like Lily’s bedroom in “The Secret Garden”*. I could do this myself although it would take all weekend to do it, so I want to hire some help – preferably a couple of well-built dudes I can watch in their industry.

There is water damage in The Blue Room which we’ve addressed by closing the door and pretending it isn’t there. This sort of delusion must not continue. Getting someone in to hold an inspection of he ceiling first means tidying the place up, no small task. The Blue Room is a mess looking worse than the back porch if that’s possible.

Did I mention the microwave gave up the ghost? It’s been over a month now. It’s funny how one adapts to having no microwave to warm things. Perhaps the adaptation is going too well for it means we are not aggravated enough to do something about it.

Back porch. Leaky roof. Messy rooms. Microwave momentum mori. Oh the pain. Well that is what spring cleaning is all about, isn’t it?

After the grounds man, pool guy, roof fellow, and porch thralls are done with their manly chores, I turn to the feminine for internal tasks viz. hiring a char to give La Casa de Spo a decent going-over.** I am looking forward to this.

Tell me about your spring cleaning.

*not good.

**Around these parts it is almost impossible to hire a housecleaner whose first name doesn’t end in ‘-ita’. Once upon a time we had a burly bear-type fellow in once a fortnight to tidy up but he’s gone out of business, worse luck.