I’m standing in the barn aisle and it’s Easter Sunday. I’m impatient because I’m waiting for my turn to use my brand new industrial-sized shop vac. It’s my Easter present from my hubby. That, and a new pair of running shoe style muck boots. Happy Easter to me!
It’s funny, but if my hubby gave me a household vacuum cleaner for Easter, well, I’d have probably killed him. But put a vacuum in the barn and everyone’s fighting to give it a go. It’s absolutely amazing how much satisfaction comes from sucking up huge gobs of spider webs, chunks of leftover hay, and bits of shavings. Who knew?!
So I spent the better part of Easter Sunday prancing around in my new streamlined footwear, which are completely waterproof and worth every penny, while conducting a thorough spring cleaning. It has been a long time since my winter-weary feet felt quite so pampered. And thanks to my new magic boots, I happily floated along the barn aisle dragging my new spider sucking toy along behind me.
As I was working away it occurred to me just how much easier, not to mention how much more fun, household jobs would be if convention allowed us to use tools that actually made things better and faster. Imagine a life where we could use the barn leaf blower to get rid of the dust and dirt in the house? How about a little pressure washer action to clean the last of the stuck muck off the floors? It’s little wonder that most women would rather spend the day cleaning the barn than the house. Cleaning the barn makes more sense because barn tools are bigger, better, and way more fun to use!
I must say that by Sunday evening the barn looked clean, fresh, and cobweb-free even if I looked a little worse for wear. One thing I didn’t factor into the spring cleaning equation, however, was the sheer volume of overhead manoeuvering that was required to get every crack and crevice of my barn cleaned out. I, like most horse women, try to manage as little household cleaning as possible, so spending an entire day in the company of a vacuum cleaner was a unique experience for me.
My hubby definitely hit an Easter home-run with his thoughtful gifts. I was even more appreciative when he somewhat shamefully confessed that he’d purchased the vac for $20 from an ad on Kijiji. I have a husband who’s thoughtful and thrifty, and that’s a hard combo to find these days! Of course, I spent the majority of Monday morning trying to figure out why moving my arms above my waist was next to impossible and oh so painful and it wasn’t until I stood in the barn aisle admiring my handy work that it occurred to me. A spider-free space always comes at a cost, and my arms paid the price. So, I’ve decided the next time I’m in need of a spider-free zone, I think I’ll use the money we saved on the shop vac and put it towards hiring someone else to do the dirty work. And, if I’m really smart, I think I’ll let them take a crack at the house while they’re at it!
