Homemaking Unplugged

        The filter cleaning was disgusting.  Truly disgusting. And for the first time, I feel a little annoyed with Martha. I mean, there are some things that one is better off knowing, and if not for Martha, I might have gone my whole life without knowing that my range hood filters were filled with a black, greasy gunk. And I might have died happier for it. Really. Learning about the filters and then seeing them was like being told that your favorite outfit makes you look fat -- and then realizing that it's true.  It's something you don't quickly get over. So, dear Martha, I can't say I'm grateful for yesterday's experience, in any way.  

       Still, as my month is drawing to a close, I did continue to look for other bits of advice that might not involve nauseating discoveries in the kitchen. And here is a simple one I am going to do.

       Martha suggests that when using a power strip to plug in various electric devices, one should attach tags to the various plugs to identify what device each plug relates to.  She even suggests using as labels the little plastic tags from bread bags -- after writing on them more pertinent information than the "best before" date.

       This does seem like a good idea to me -- the labeling that is.  As I am on a low-carb diet, collecting bread bag tags really isn't worth the cost, effort or carbohydrates.  However, I really should label our cords...

       Recently, when I was changing our sheets, an excess of static electricity in the bedding shocked my bedside clock into showing the wrong time.  For some reason, the same shock also made inoperable the buttons that would allow me to correct the time. I suspected that if I simply unplugged the clock, it would likely re-set everything and allow me to start afresh. But as the clock was plugged into a power cord with several other items, and the power cord was pushed behind the bed, I knew it would be something of a hassle to reach, find and unplug the right cord.  And I just wasn't up for it.  

       Instead, I simply adjusted my time expectations for the next several days. When I wanted to wake up at 6:30 a.m., I set the alarm instead for 11:07 p.m.  If I woke up unexpectedly at 8:49 p.m., I could comfortably roll over, knowing I still had over two hours left to sleep. This may sound like lunacy, but it did seem easier than hunting for the right cord.

       So tomorrow, I am going to label my cords, but without bread bag tags. Instead, after another trip to The Container Store, I now have a set of specially-designed, multi-colored tags that I can label and twist around the various electric cords -- not only in the bedroom, but also in my home office and behind my television.  

      

       Part of me wonders if the time I will spend labeling will truly  be worth it.  Wouldn't it just be easier to unplug the wrong cord now and then?  

       Maybe. But at least this way, I'll always know what time it is.