I sometimes think I go on about my idyllic life in the bush a little too much… and this picture is so very idyllic… However… these are my kitchen windows… living in the woods, the stormy windy, tree pollen, bush goo and spider web woods (not to mention the wetas that look like naked tarantulas and the wood roaches that look an awful lot like drunk cockroaches with beer bellies) they get very dirty. And someone has to clean them.
That someone is me. I spent today, the most perfect day (except for the wee storm that blew through around 4pm) washing windows – inside and out. 8 huge windows in the kitchen and 15 in the lounge… in the end, they sparkled. Of course I had to take a photo.
Titirangi Storyteller 
A beautiful view and the sastisfaction of a job well done….did you rub on the menthol cream or hop in a hot tub afterward to soothe your hard-working muscles? Not sure I’d like sharing nature with those bugs though. Had just told my husband we should ask if you’d like to do a house swap for your trip to the Dakotas! Last night I threw back the covers on our bed and a black spider went whizzing the other way…yikes!! Every area has its downside. LOving our gentle pink and blue sunrise over the frozen lake here today. No window washing in these freezing temps.and mine need it.
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No, though I did take a nice long shower. Muscles were a bit shocking when I rolled otu of bed this morning, though…
The thing about our bugs is that they are pretty much all benign. Of course strange bugs are always terrifying… I think I’ve published a photo or two of the weta – not sure – they can be up to a foot across including their legs, though their bodies are generally only an inch or two. The wood roaches though – I was born in New York, where a roach is a cockroach and there’s no nice way of looking at them. We do have those in New Zealand as well, but not in my house… And we only get the wood roaches when they wander in from outside, they are really slow and stupid…
A house swap could be an excellent idea!
As for washing windows in the winter – frozen or otherwise – it’s a sort of – why bother exercise, I think… Of course if you have a pristine, windswept view – maybe the picture window…
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Beautiful view! My view out of my still-dirty windows is gorgeous, too; unfortunately, the windows will stay dirty for the winter!
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Yip – dirty windows in winter… the only way to go. Even if one could afford it, it would seem cruel to hire someone to go out there and clean one’s windows in the winter…
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Fun to see you here, ThurmanLady. LOve your symbol and its color! Hope you are having a good season 🙂
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Just looked up the Weta. Gosh, they sure can be big! I don’t recall seeing any obscene insects in NZ and we rented a cottage in The Bay of Islands where we spent a lot of time outside.
Titi…seriously, what do you use to wash your windows? Often I just use vinegar on the outside to avoid streaks. You did a great job.
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Bay of Islands and Auckland are fairly similar climate wise, though it’s a tad warmer up there (4 hours north of here). Titirangi and any really bush area has a lot more insects than the more ‘civilised’ areas… I’m definitely living in their territory – not that they really mind…
This morning I had a rather large, friendly spider strolling down my arm as I sit working on the computer… I love freaking out in a controlled sort of way so I rapidly brush the terrifying monster from my flesh – making sure that the fragile spider that it really is is not injured as a result…
As for cleaning the windows… I squirt a bit of dishwashing liquid into a half a bucket of warm water and then add about half a cup of cloudy ammonia. I use a squigee thing to wash and wipe and then finish off with crumpled newspaper. Windows here get truly dirty, with sap and bug goo on the outside and mildew on the inside (yes, windows get mildewy… who knew?) so one must be aggressive…
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Thanks for the detals, Titirangi. You are so good to respond 🙂 We are at 7 degrees here today with a nippy breeze….whew….don’t even have to consider window washing! The American Gold Finch and Juncos are making quick work of the black sunflowers in the feeders. I’m sure they’d prefer some of those tasty insects you have in your great outdoors instead.
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Many thanks, Titi. I have clear ammonia – will check google to see the difference.
To clean the window on my wood insert, I find newspaper works like a charm with a squirt of water on the glass and scrubbed with a damp newspaper dipped in ashes.
People buy expensive chemicals which are completely unnecessary.
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Here’s what Google said: “… cloudy ammonia has a little soap added in. This was done because originally ammonia was cloudy. When they figured out how to make it clear, people were already used to it looking cloudy, so they started adding soap to give it the same look. You will be fine using clear ammonia in that solution.”
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Interesting – back when I lived in the US I did use clear ammonia, but I don’t think you can get clear ammonia here at least you couldn’t 18 years ago… Ammonia is nasty – but it’s as natural as you can get – as anyone who’s opened a nappy/diaper pail on a hot day can attest!
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Oh my. Your industrious side has been quite busy. I simply abhor washing windows, but I will admit that if I had nice big panes like yours and a view like you have, I could probably be much more dedicated to the chore.
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I’m pretty sure no on e really enjoys washing windows – but these days I figure any kind of physical labour does me far more good than harm, so off I go… I do let them get pretty bad sometimes. Very motivated these days on account of the wedding…
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