Pedley's Ponderings

There is never a shortage of things to clean in our house. With two kids under 5 and a dog and cat that seemingly replace their coats each week, a thorough cleaning typically lasts six hours.

Neither Kaity’s vehicle nor mine receive the same amount of attention as our home, however. Unfortunately a tipping point was reached late last month, and yours truly was responsible for several month’s worth of cleanup.

I don’t remember the last time I cleaned out Kaity’s Ford Explorer. It’s the main kid-hauler in our household, and aside from removing the mass of books, markers, toys and other accumulation from time to time, it’s relatively neglected. Sometimes the mechanics will run a vacuum over the floor boards during an oil change, but other than that, I never see the point in banging my head against that wall.

Nonetheless, I bit my lip and got after it one Sunday in April. Boy, was that gross. I think I removed a bag’s worth of old Goldfish and Cheez-It’s in addition to a smorgasbord of unidentifiable candy. That’s not to mention all the mismatched socks, old drawings and stray objects like used straws I found. These children belong in a pigpen, and I’d be happy to put them there.

I’ve tried to initiate a strict new set of hygiene rules for the Explorer, but my kids are anarchists. The back seat is there domain and they like it filthy as sin.

For now, I’ll let them wallow in it. Next time I clean it, though, they’ll be out there helping dad do the dirty work. I’ll even put up with all the whining if it means they learn a lesson.

They won’t, though, and my head will be banging the wall a few months later. At least I own one of the biggest Shop-Vacs they make.

Nick Pedley is news editor of The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.