The Windows of our Home

I believe I was in Junior High school when this event happened. Although our home was such a pretty bright yellow on the outside mom and dad had gotten it into their heads that they should paint the inside walls gold. It was a dark gold. It darkened in time. It made our home feel and look more like a cave than a home. The side of the house facing the street had NO windows to the front room. There were two bedroom windows facing the street. The one window for the living/family room was a glass sliding patio door with a curtain on it and a smaller window over the dining area table. That was it for natural lighting into our home. Fewer curtains. Fewer windows. Less heat loss. Lower maintenance. You get the picture.

Mom and dad were both smokers. At one point in their lives they were very heavy smokers. I'm talking a full pack a day, each. Needless to say the smoke particles go somewhere--not just into their and our lungs. I don't know how many years (literally-not joking-mom had the attitude of if she bought it once and didn't use it, it would last forever AND she wouldn't have to buy it again!) it had been since she had last washed the windows but one day she got some umption in her gumption and got up and washed the windows. While I was away at school.

When I got home, she was so proud of herself she had to ask if I noticed anything. Well, I realize now that had I praised and adored her then maybe she would have done more around the house, but I was stupid and only knew what I had learned from examples set so I said, "No."

She was, to say the least disappointed. But she was still so proud of herself she had to tell me all about it and how thick the build up of cigarette smoke was and how literally when she washed the windows she could see the thick orangey film. She spoke of how many times she had to change the water (cheaper to buy ammonia than the expensive glass-no plastic back then-bottle of Windex-just out on the market)because the windows were so dirty.

DUH! Next question was-how was she going to clean that junk out of us kids' lungs?

Yeah. I probably didn't need to write this, but it was a thought that popped up and I thought I ought to clear it from my memory bank.

I at least rearrange and clean through and throw out my stuff and junk piles about once a month. Mom did about once every 5-7 years. Seriously.

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