Thoughts on Spring-Cleaning

Fidál (Grace), 16 Mulk (Dominion), 167 BE – Tuesday, February 22, 2011 about 9:27 PM Pacific Time

The first day a spring is in March, so my thoughts turn to my Grandma Newland and spring-cleaning. My grandmother always began spring-cleaning in the kitchen dining room combination of her house. She began by washing down all the counter space; once she completed that job then she would take the dishes out of the cupboards and put in new shelf paper. Grandma did not like her dishes touching the wooden shelves.

Grandma never waited until the first day of spring to do the spring-cleaning. She would start that job on either March 1 or February 28. Grandma always did a through spring-cleaning and the rest of the year kept the house spotless, which was not an easy task.

Grandpa and Grandma Newland lived in Blackwell, Oklahoma, in the Smelter Heights. There was a zinc smelter close to their home and the smoke from that settled on everything. Despite the fact that the location of their home did not lend itself to a spotless house, Grandma kept the house spotless. This was a testament to Grandma Newland’s persistence and stubbornness.

No matter which way the wind blew or how much dust came into the house, Grandma was determined to keep the house spotless and dust free. She accomplished this daunting task, while making cooking for Grandpa during the week and four grandchildren on the weekends.