The "After Stocking Cleanup!"

 Stockings continue to trickle in a few every day, and Cheryl and I continue to sew them up and send them out.  First 12, then 8, then 6 , now 4....  I don't know if I should hope for zero, but then we will be able to focus on other things.  Things that are NOT stockings....

Failed Origami.

Like Origami!   My Origami Chi has been completely blocked!  I blame it on all of my creative energy going to stockings, but that seems like an easy answer.  I do know that it does not take much to throw a wrench in the artistic mind.

Failed Baking..

  Cheryl has a similar thing going on with her Baking.   As Christmas Approaches,  our snack gifts are becoming more and more sparse as she lacks the enthusiasm to tackle anything "seasonal."  

And then there is the cleaning projects.   After stockings, things are usually a disaster. Cheryl vacuums every day, but the strings and buttons and pins and felt scraps continue to litter the floor and muddle things up.   Add in the pets and human traffic from outside.   Our Carpet was never very "nice" to begin with.   And although it was made from the cheapest Menards Carpeting offered,  after 11 years, it is beginning to wear away.  Time for a deep cleaning.

We looked at the various shampoo cleaners that the local hardware stores had to offer, and by the time you rent something, you may as well have bought one for your own personal use.   After doing the math,  Cheryl did just that!  

Behold!  The Hoover Power Dash Plus!  Small, Lightweight, and powerful enough for a 600 sq ft apartment in Iowa!  So super simple to use... Even Cheryl could figure it out!  

Just kidding.   She had no idea how it worked.  

The first thing she did was glub a bunch of shampoo rug cleaner (Without shaking the bottle!) And then went to fill it with water.  Luckily I stopped her, before she sudds-ed the reservoir up so we would be unable to use it for the next hour.  I knew I would have to take things over from there.

The machine is simple enough to use.   And a lot less cumbersome than the "HEAVY DUTY" ones they try to rent out at the Hardware stores.  I could take my time and shampoo the high traffic areas as long as it took to get the water to come out clear.  Unlike the rentals, that wanted you to be done in 6 hours...  ( Or 24, if you wanted to pay even more...) I think it did a fare job.

But, that took the rest of my Mojo.   At least the carpet looks better.  And the rooms smell better.. ( I think)  The shampoo was not really a fragrant kind.

All 4 cats accounted for.

  Mostly it was to eliminate pet odors.  And ever since we found ourselves in a cat rescue ranch scenario,  we figured that would be the better choice.  

Hiro and Rocket.

Time to Enjoy a Tom and Jerry.   This is the last of my stash, so unless we find ourselves in  Muscatine any time soon,  this could be it for the season.  Probably a good thing, as there is a lot of sugar and other bad things in that drink.

Haru, up close.

Oh!  Cheryl has been able to complete 7 mile training runs all week so far.   One of the perks of fewer stockings.  I think we even ran 52 miles last week!  Not bad since our average had been dropping since September.  

Haru has funny shaped Paws.

Cheryl smothered in cats.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the coldest day of the week, but then things warm back up.   We finally have our Turkey in the Fridge thawing for Christmas Dinner.  It should be completely thawed by then.. hopefully.  And then....  I'm sure Stockings will go into hibernation for another 9 months.  And we will be able to get back to our "Normal" lives.   (Whatever "normal" is, these days.)  Thanks for stopping in.