'Find my house up in arms'....

Life in a Nutshell
Reading this er... book. (was going to say 'great', but it's actually very cumbersome to get through)

I have come across enough charming anecdotes to make this worth reading, but only if you are in the mood for a slow, crawling, sprawling, very daily and mundane history of times long past. It takes awhile to get into the story and there are definitely long dry periods, but there are many gems along the way.

"Find my house up in arms" is the chapter I just finished, and it describes the long nights spent away from home, coupled with the domestic duties that have piled up since this midwife left her home a few days before. When she finally returns, she pens the phrase, "find my house in arms". The author describes it this way:

"The image is a curious one, as though the floorboards, pothooks, and bedsteads had risen up against her. The phrase is idiomatic, of course, yet it suggests an attitude. A house could be an adversary. Turn your back, and it rippled into disorder. Chairs tipped. Candles slumped. Egg yolks hardened in cold skillets. Dust settled like snow. Only by constant effort could a woman conquer her possessions."

And it goes on, brilliantly written, transcending any age! I can definitely relate...especially these days.

On the same topic, Danielle Bean has a post today about what happens when the kids aren't at home!

So, we love our kids dearly, and our houses remain "up in arms"......