Cleaning Up

I did not wait to take these photos at low tide this morning – there are chores to do. Still it was ebb and about 2 hours before it would have turned. We’re just over two weeks away from the beginning of Scallop Season so the bigger boat is on the beach having its hull scraped and the zincs attached in preparation.

All of the cleaning I’ve been doing has been far more domestic. This should not be read to mean that I take any joy in those activities – I hate housework. Unfortunately I hate dirt in my house even more. However, I’ve had a problem with my floors recently.

A few weeks ago the vacuum cleaner I bought when I arrived decided to give up. Wool rugs in every room, 5 animals shedding and ripping things up, an unreasonable amount of dust, detritus from firewood, the amount of stuff my shaky hands scatter around the place, and whatever else decides to reside on my floors, had finally defeated the machine. I went online looking for a deal.

Believe it or not I actually have a favourite vacuum. I had access to it twice almost 40 years ago. It used a tank of water to filter the air and it was brilliant. It was probably also a professional machine and they cost over $1000. There is a much more affordable version now but it’s still more than I want to spend except – drumroll – Amazon had a Warehouse Deal on a returned order I could afford. Somebody got to it before I did.

I did some research and found an inexpensive canister model which could work and then found another Warehouse Deal which would save me money. It arrived yesterday. Now, I didn’t expect it to be “As New” in spite of the label. It wasn’t. It has obviously been extensively used, is missing an attachment, and didn’t have the 2 bags it was supposed to come with. Well that’s not quite true – it did have one which was full of dirt. Somebody else’s dirt.

It’s a good thing I had ordered extra bags. I put on my HazMat suit, cleaned it up and then tried it out. It does work which is all I had hoped for. Then I had Amazon call me. I told them I hadn’t had very high expectations but I really hope they didn’t return this customer’s money. I said the thing works but they returned it with a bag of dirt and I know this because You Sent It To Me! and I’m Creeped OUT!

They were very understanding. 🙂 I suggested that in future they inspect this type of thing before passing it on to other customers. Not only did they say they would report this to the Warehouse they also gave me a partial refund (which I honestly was not looking for, I just wanted somebody to acknowledge the creep factor). Anyway the floors are now clean.

I recovered last night sitting in my recliner, looking out as the snow fell on the Cove, eating a lobster feast while a friend watch some show about fishing for crab in Alaska, and 5 animals waited impatiently for bits of claw meat. I also thought about the kind of person who decides to buy a vacuum, fill two bags cleaning their place, and then return the machine for a refund, the whole time believing how clever they are. I’d rather have my life. 🙂