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Monday, April 11, 2011

Pesach (Passover) cleaning

In one corner lie mounds of rubbish (garbage if you’re reading this in the United States) and inside the cupboard shine the clean, empty, re-covered shelves, waiting to be filled with Pesach (Passover) products.

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(that opened packet of crisps on the top shelf was my reward for all hard work. It won’t be there for long!)

 

Shop til you drop has  a completely new meaning before Passover.

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OK I admit it, that pile is also not the most nutritious section of my shopping but it’s what was on the floor when I got my camera out!

Pesach cleaning is my nemesis. I love it and hate it. I hate the thought and the necessity – but I love the result.

And I know that without the necessity it would never get done.

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For those of you not in the know, before Passover the house basically gets turned upside down and inside out swept and scrubbed, washed and wiped, cleared. and cleaned, tidied and traumatized – and I didn’t just use that word because it went well with the flow, but my poor house doesn’t know what’s hit it.

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All year it’s left alone to gather dust and disorganization and wallow calmly undisturbed – and suddenly, without any warning, over a three week period around spring time it gets hit by a cleaning tornado.

The blessing of cleaning for Passover is that there’s a finite time – it all has to be ready by ………. well this year it’s April 18th – after that ………………..too late.

Now if I had to rely on the vague possibility of spring cleaning at some time or other, it would never happen.

To all my millions of fans and blog readers  (after all my hard work I’m entitled to exaggerate slightly) I wish  you all a Happy Pesach / Easter.

Don’t work too hard – take time to relax and appreciate all we are blessed with.

This time last year my sister in Teaneck, New Jersey was homeless after a terrible storm. It has taken a full year of building, decorating and negotiating with insurance companies, but a few weeks ago they  finished the rebuilding and decorating.

Thinking back serves as a reminder that there are plenty of things far worse in life than Pesach cleaning.

3 comments:

Rosalind Adam said...

Chag Sameach. Have a lovely time with the family and don't work too hard. So pleased to hear that your sister and her family are settled once more.

Anonymous said...

A year of rebuilding and redecorating our house and my room still isn't tidy :)

Ann said...

Thanks Ros - the work's more or less over - now we can enjoy ourselves.
Hi Anonymous - you're secret's safe with me - although I expect your Mum has noticed!