life without my vacuum
(me and my vacuum in happier times)
i’m sure you’ve all been on pins and needles wondering how i am faring without my vacuum… NOT WELL i would say. as i write this my vacuum has been in the shop for NINE days and we have never been separated this long. i DID make some rookie moves in the first two days - i served toast and eggs for breakfast on day one. lucy munches her toast like a wood chuck… crumbs go flying. normally, i don’t let this flap me (remember she has not yet attended cotillion) because i have my trusty vacuum to clean up her storm, but this time i had to wipe down the floor myself.
(lucy eating toast; photo: jay levin)
on the second day i dropped a glass that shattered into a bazillion pieces. i carefully picked up the big shards but there were so many teeny ones that i wondered if we should move out until i could get my vacuum back, just to be safe.
(here i am cleaning up the floor)
on the third day i stopped at both ikea (they have the BEST sheepskin pillows) AND costco on the way back from denver. bringing all of those pillows and boxes and packaging into the house inevitably also brings in mess and dirt. when i have my vacuum on hand, this trouble is quickly managed but without my vacuum i was completely vulnerable.
by the fifth day i was pretty jumpy and scattered. i started binge watching “velvet” - a spanish soap that is centered around a gorgeous bergdorf-like department store in 1950’s madrid. the styling and wardrobe and sets and people are just stunning. it has helped me manage my anxiety because it takes a lot of focus reading the subtitles. they speak in that rapid, lispy spanish that is musical and soothing.
(VELVET … on netflix)
i was dreading this process when i thought i would be vacuumless for a couple of days, but the estimate was TWO WEEKS (fucking covid!) i have five more days to go. thankfully, i am going away for the long weekend to a hotel where i assume they have vacuums… i should only have to survive a couple more days upon my return. i may have to make my kids eat outside until my vacuum is back in my possession… i hope it doesn’t snow!
(my kids comforting each other when i won't let them back in the house…)
* as of this writing i still DO NOT have my vacuum back and it has been a full FOURTEEN days AND i have finished all four seasons of velvet so i am really on the brink now…