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Random Thoughts: Time for spring cleaning

I have finally finished the book "Russka." What a book! It is a novel with a historical background, starting with the beginning of Russia and brought up to 1990. I well remember back in 1917-1918, about the Bolsheviks who murdered the czar. What a piece of work it must have been to research all the historical material used in the story. The writer did a great job making his characters come to life.

Spring is here! My crabapple tree is in full bloom and my tulips are gorgeous and the jonquils beautiful.

As Wordsworth wrote: "I wandered lonely as a cloud, That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils."

Spring is not only for flowers as it also brings on a surge of wanting to clean the house. An annual rite, as it were.

Bring out the rugs, hang them on the clothesline and beat the dust out of them. Wash the curtains. My mother had long, white lace curtains. She would stretch them by attaching the edges to little hooks fastened to a wooden frame, then let the sun and gentle breeze do the drying.

Don't forget the windows. I know a couple who worked on them together. She on the inside and he standing on a ladder on the outside. That way they could work simultaneously, pointing out the parts that needed more washing. By the time they finished, the glass was so perfect you couldn't tell it was there.

When all was said and done, when the spring housecleaning was done, a great feeling of satisfaction prevailed over the entire family.

— NORMA HANNAFORD

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