DIRT

Saturday, September 5, 2008
The sun woke me early today and the first thing I thought of was the dirt. Me in an apartment full of dirt and no cleaning supplies! Not even a rag. There is a small outdoor area that is exposed to the outside but somewhat protected by louvers. The air conditioner is out there and there is a rod that stretches between the two walls that is meant to be used for drying clothes on hangers. BTW--there is a clever little pole that looks a bit like a cane that you use to lift the clothes hangers on and off the rod. Former tenants had used this area to dump junk, and that stuff was there, caked in dirt. No way was I going to hang clean clothes out there!

What to do? I started by climbing out the narrow little strip of a window, testing the strength of the strongest part of the small air-conditioner, and gauging whether or not I could get back in again. I decided to go for it, so I climbed down and started throwing junk back into my apartment. It was a filthy job. As luck with have it, I found not only a rag in the process, but a really good collapsible luggage/grocery dolly, also caked in dirt. I grabbed the rag and started cleaning. I cleaned until 1:30 that afternoon. Then I took a shower. Hey, the shower is great! What a pleasant surprise.