Saturday, May 19, 2018

Domesticated / Domesticado

POOR SAN GERALDO. He has to do everything around the house right now. And he has to do it in place of obsessive-compulsive me. He takes down the trash and recycling, [almost] daily. And although the kitchen seems to get beyond his control at times, he does manage to catch up. I can tell he worries that his different style will bother me. But I've told him I won't complain at all. He's doing it and I'm not.

I did NOT, however, say that I wouldn't take pictures and share them. The first two are before and after shots of a bit of the kitchen. He does a very good job with the laundry (which I have at least been folding).

The final photo was taken by my father from someone's tenement window. He wrote April 1948 on the back. See? It could be worse.

POBRE SAN GERALDO. Él tiene que hacer todo lo que está en la casa en este momento. Y él tiene que hacerlo en lugar de yo, el obsesivo-compulsivo. Él toma la basura y la recicla, [casi] diariamente. Y aunque la cocina parece ir más allá de su control a veces, logra ponerse al día. Puedo decir que le preocupa que su estilo diferente me moleste. Pero le dije que no me voy a quejar. Él lo está haciendo y yo no.

NO dije, sin embargo, que no tomaría fotos y las compartiría. Los primeros dos son antes y después en la cocina. Él hace un muy buen trabajo con la ropa (que al menos he estado doblando).

La foto final fue hecha por mi padre desde la ventana de la vivienda de alguien. Él escribió abril de 1948 en la parte posterior. ¿Ven? Podría ser peor



21 comments:

  1. (sings)
    new york, new york, a wonderful town
    the bronx is up, and the battery's down
    the people ride in a hole in the ground
    new york, new york, it's won-der-ful town!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. anne marie:
      They didn't mention those courtyards anywhere in the song.

      Delete
  2. You have the perfect husband, one whose willing to do it all when you can't. I hope you heal up soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheapchick:
      He's amazing. I really do appreciate how lucky I am. It's going well, I think. Back to doc on Wednesday. But the better my eye feels, the more I forget myself and do things I shouldn't (I'm SO bored!). Jerry lectures me several times a day.

      Delete
  3. He is trying and looks very good to me.
    Feel better soon.

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Parsnip:
      He's doing a great job. That's not the worst the kitchen has looked, but he's doing it all and waiting on my... and deserves a medal.

      Delete
  4. I love to cook; I hate to clean up. And the more complicated the meal, the worse is the clean up. But that "before" kitchen doesn't look bad at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frank:
      Same with Jerry. Loves to cook. Hates to clean up. The kitchen has looked a lot worse than that first photo in recent days. But I have barely lifted a finger in more than a week (and I get a lecture whenever I do). When Jerry cooks a big meal (which he's avoiding doing right now), the kitchen looks like something exploded.

      Delete
  5. Quite the shot to show New York then. I can almost hear Ralph Cramden yelling at Norton upstairs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mistress maddie:
      Do you believe that? I'm so glad my father took it, labeled it, and saved it. I think it might even be from a window in my grandparents' apartment -- the Dowager Duchess's parents, if you can believe it! They raised six princesses and they still lived in a place with a view like that when I was young. Ralph Kramden didn't live far from there!

      Delete
  6. SG can clean our kitchen anytime he wants to - he did a great job. Even the drain board is put away. What a treasure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wilma:
      And that's the deal breaker "anytime he WANTS to"! Actually, the housekeeper came that day, so everything was put away. That's the only time in the past week that the drainboard has left the kitchen counter. But I'm not complaining! He IS a treasure.

      Delete
  7. Hey, that's what husbands are for, right?
    He really cleans up well!
    I do most of the cooking and I use a lot of utensils/bowls/dishes in doing so. Thank god Ron likes to clean up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jim:
      Jerry's theory is why use one bowl when three will do? He's working his butt off for me and is already plotting how I'm going to reciprocate.

      Delete
  8. It's good for us to be reminded of the kind of squalor our parents often endured. And somehow, black and white just makes it all look so much worse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debra:
      I think that photo was taken from my grandparent's window (my mother's parents). They still lived in a tenement apartment when I was young. Three bedrooms. They raised 7 children that way. And each of their six daughters grew up to be a princess -- although none would admit it.

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Deedles:
      OK, the sparkly-ness is thanks to our housekeeper, Isabel! But San Geraldo deserves a medal.

      Delete
  10. I can't stand the dishes personally, esp cleaning another person's dishes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adam:
      I actually enjoy it if I'm left alone. My zen moment. And I'd rather wash dishes and clean the kitchen than cook.

      Delete
  11. Take comfort I am getting more OCD-like in my 'demands' for a tidy house; you are not alone.

    ReplyDelete

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